Post-Cannes, here are 5 international films to watch out for at the 2026 Oscars
Recently, as a result of the Academy's expansion of voting members, there have been more international features in the top categories at the Oscars. The past two years have seen double the tally in Best Picture. With Cannes being the biggest kingmaker for films on the road to the Oscars, as seen with Best Picture winners Parasite and Anora and Best Picture nominee Anatomy of a Fall, below are the biggest international competitors to keep an eye on.
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Categories to watch: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film
Jafar Panahi becomes the fourth director to win the Palme d'Or, the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival, and the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, after Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Robert Altman. The Iranian thriller, picked up by Neon, follows five former prisoners questioning what to do with the man who tortured them as well as his identity. This complex morality tale was made illegally without permission from the Iranian authorities, making it unlikely that the country will submit the film for Best International Feature, leaving either France or Luxembourg to carry the weight as part of their co-production. Despite the specific gear towards the Iranian regime, this movie has proven that it can resonate with audiences with its top prize victory at Cannes. The Palme d'Or champ has received a Best Picture Oscar nomination four of the last five years. Main categories that will help it secure one of the 10 slots would be Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Panahi, whose journey of imprisonment and bans as a result of his political and artistic revolutions, can garner the passionate support of the highbrow directors' branch, as well as the film's layered monologues. Put all those nominations together, and It Was Just An Accident could follow the trajectory of Drive My Car and Palme d'Or winner Triangle of Sadness.
PascalCategories to watch: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress x2, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature
It is safe to say the more certain bet for Neon would be Sentimental Value — which was the favorite going into the festival — if for no other reason than purely because the Academy is more familiar with director Joachim Trier's work, having nominated him in Best Original Screenplay for The Worst Person In The World (with co-writer Eskil Vogt) to go with the movie's bid in Best International Feature for Norway. This year, the writers reunite with their leading actress and Cannes winner Renate Reinsve in this family dramedy about estranged daughters and their director father, who abandoned them, coming to terms with their past with an autobiographical film. Sentimental Value has more broad appeal, starting with its cast that includes Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, all acting contenders, and with a mixture of well-known creatives and continuing raves from critics, this will be a surefire hit in multiple leading categories.
Categories to watch: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature
Another Neon grab, The Secret Agent ended up following the same route as Emilia Pérez last year at Cannes, securing multiple major awards at the festival with Best Director for Kleber Mendonça Filho and Best Actor for Wagner Moura, making them both Oscar challengers in their respective categories. The political thriller about a teacher on the run, hoping to reunite with his son in the midst of the Brazilian military dictatorship, mirrors last year's Best International Feature Oscar winner I'm Still Here, whose Best Picture nomination was one of the biggest shockers (Walter Salles' biopic similarly also was cited for its lead star Fernanda Torres). While the aforementioned two Cannes films may be prioritized by the studio, the last two years of the festival produced three Best Picture nominees, and one should never underestimate the passion and impact of the large Brazilian audience when it comes to the top category.
Categories to watch: Best International Feature
These two movies tied for the third place Jury Prize and both have the potential to fill the rest of the five International Feature slots. The Laxe drama, acquired by Neon and a co-production of France and Spain, centers on a father in the deserts of Morocco searching for his missing daughter, while the German film is an abstract exploration of a century of four generations of young girls connected by one particular farmhouse, directed by Schilinski and soon-to-be distributed by Mubi.
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