Oscars: U.K. Selects Iran Doc ‘Rehearsals for a Revolution’ as Best International Feature Entry
The United Kingdom has selected "Rehearsals for a Revolution", a documentary by Pegah Ahangarani, as its submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2027 Oscars. The film, which won the L'Oeil d'Or for best documentary at this year's Cannes Film Festival, traces more than four decades of Iranian history through the director's personal experiences of exile and the stories of her relatives and mentors. This selection represents significant recognition for Ahangarani, a female filmmaker creating in exile from her home country, whose work combines personal archives, home videos, protest footage and recorded testimonies to explore themes of political repression and continuing hope for change.
Ahangarani, 42, spent over two and a half years writing, researching and editing the film in the UK with a team of British collaborators. "Rehearsals for a Revolution" premiered at Cannes earlier this year and subsequently screened at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals before being released in the UK in September. Sony Pictures Classics will conduct Oscar-qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles in December, followed by theatrical release from 8 January 2027. The Academy will announce the 15-film international feature shortlist on 15 December, with the five nominees revealed on 21 January, ahead of the 99th Academy Awards ceremony on 14 March 2027.
- UK selects Pegah Ahangarani's documentary for 2027 Best International Feature Oscar.
- Film won Cannes L'Oeil d'Or; director created it in UK exile.
- Documentary spans 40 years of Iranian history through personal archive and family.
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"Rehearsals for a Revolution" is a documentary that explores four decades of Iranian history through personal stories and archival footage. Created by Pegah Ahangarani, a filmmaker working in exile from Iran, the film combines home videos, protest materials and recorded testimonies to examine political repression and hope for change in the country.
Each year, countries select one film to represent them in the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards, one of cinema's most prestigious international competitions. Submissions can be any genre of film, though documentaries have been historically less frequent winners than narrative films.
The film was developed in the United Kingdom with British collaborators and has gained recognition at major film festivals, including winning the top documentary award at Cannes. Its selection as the UK's official Oscar submission reflects the film's critical success and places an independent documentary by an exiled filmmaker amongst this year's international contenders.