International Feature Film Oscar Shortlist: In A Crowded Year, Which Movies Could Advance

The shortlist of 15 films to vie for a Best International Feature Film Oscar nomination at the 98th Academy Awards is set to be announced on December 16. In all, movies from 86 countries are eligible to advance. This is a year where there are several front-runners but also comers — and many titles with crossover potential. As with every year in this fascinating and eye-opening category, there is compelling work across the board.  

Below, we take a closer look at the potential candidates for the early cull. They include prize winners from the major festivals, outliers and local box office hits.

Deadline, through its various Contenders events as well as separate interviews, has spoken with filmmakers behind many of the entries while many of the titles on the main list below have been reviewed by Deadline’s critics. 

Here is our preview in alphabetical order by film title (and be sure to check out the Special Mentions):

2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA (Ukraine), dir: Mstyslav Chernov; U.S. Distributor: Frontline/PBS/Associated Press

What it’s about: A documentary chronicling the intense, sanguinary attempt by Ukrainian soldiers to retake a village seized by Russian invaders. Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation.

Director’s comment: “I keep the perspective very narrow [in the film] — just in that forest. There is a certain claustrophobic feeling when you’re stuck in that strip of trees that are cut by shrapnel and bombs and machine guns and there is no way out. You cannot get out. And I think this is a metaphor for [the] entire war.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered at Sundance, where it won the Directing award for World Cinema Documentary. Later played CPH:DOX (F:ACT Award), Doc Aviv (Best International Documentary), DocuDays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. Nominated for Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Gotham Awards; won NBR Award for Top Five documentaries.

RELATED: Oscar-Winning Director Mstyslav Chernov Documents Ferocious Battle For Ukrainian Village In ‘2000 Meters To Andriivka’ – Sundance Studio

FAMILIA (Italy), dir: Francesco Costabile; U.S. Distributor: Breaking Glass Pictures

What it’s about: A biographical drama based on Luigi Celeste’s memoir Non sarà sempre così about his youth as a far-right militant, living in the shadow of domestic violence with a criminal father. 

Director’s comment: “I found the book after I finished my first film, Una Femmina. That film was also about violence against women. But it was within the context of a mafia family in Calabria.” With Familia, “I wanted to find a theme that was more universal because this kind of culture of violence transcends all kinds of social classes.”

Key festivals/awards: The pic had its world premiere in Venice’s Orizzonti sidebar, where Francesco Gheghi won Best Actor. Francesco Di Leva later took the David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor.

RELATED: ‘Familia’ Team On Adapting Luigi Celeste’s Popular Memoir Into Italy’s Oscar Contender – Contenders International

HOMEBOUND (India), dir: Neeraj Ghaywan; U.S. Distributor: Netflix

What it’s about: The story is set in a village in northern India where two childhood friends attempt to pass the national police exam, a career that could offer them the dignity they dare not hope for. Just as they get closer to their dream, the precious bond that unites them is threatened by their disillusionment.

Director’s comment: “Homebound started with this op-ed essay in The New York Times. It was a true story that happened in India, and it was a story of friendship and what happened to these friends during the journey [during] the pandemic. … I wanted to use that as a base friendship, as a strong way to talk about our bigger concerns that the world is now grappling with, which is that what makes migrants leave their homes in rural India or across the world? What are the things that motivate them? It’s not just jobs, it’s not just money, it’s also existential.”

Key festivals/awards: World premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard; also played Toronto, Warsaw and Zurich.

RELATED: ‘Homebound’ Director Neeraj Ghaywan Reveals How Exec Producer Martin Scorsese Helped Him Find Focus For The Film – Contenders Los Angeles

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (France), dir: Jafar Panahi; U.S. Distributor: Neon

What it’s about: Vahid Mubasseri stars as a man who believes he has come across the government security officer who tortured him while he was serving a prison sentence. Seeking revenge, he kidnaps the guard and begins to bury him alive in the desert. Suddenly doubting that he has the right man, he seeks out a wedding photographer who was in jail with him, hoping she can confirm the man’s identity. The bride and groom join in as well.

Deadline’s take: “There are more than a few laughs in this film despite the seriousness of the treatment these poor souls were given at the hand of the government for no good reason, working people whose lives were upended. … The sheer skill of Panahi to juggle the tonal changes is impressive to say the least.”

Director’s comment: “In cinema, we still have been able to find a way to make films with all the limitations. And despite all these situations that you see, I made this film with the motivation of answering this question: ‘What happens in the future?’… ‘Is the cycle of violence going to continue in the future, or is it coming to an end at some point?’”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Cannes, scooping Palme d’Or; then played Sydney (Best Film), San Sebastian, Montclair (Audience Award), Locarno and AFI (Special Award). Has four Golden Globe nominations, and three from the European Film Awards. At the Gothams, it won Director, Original Screenplay and International Feature; New York Film Critics Circle gave it Best Director, while National Board of Review named it Best International Film and the L.A. Film Critics Association honored the screenplay.

RELATED: ‘It Was Just An Accident’ Director Jafar Panahi Says Iran’s Islamic Republic Won’t Continue Forever: “These Regimes Are Never To Last” – Toronto Studio

KOKUHO (Japan), dir: Lee Sang-il; U.S. Distributor: GKids

What it’s about: The story begins in 1964 Nagasaki when, following the death of his yakuza gang leader father, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of famous kabuki actor Hanjiro Hanai (Ken Watanabe). Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, Kikuo decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theater. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together – from acting school to the grandest stages – amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals. One of them will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of kabuki. Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama play the friends/rivals.

Director’s comment: “It’s true that for kabuki, even in Japan, it’s been 80 years since a movie has had kabuki as the theme. You can see, just by that metric, Kabuki is something that is very difficult to adapt to cinema. I think that there’s this very secretive aspect to kabuki between protecting the bloodlines and hierarchy.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight before playing TIFF and AFI.

RELATED: ‘Kokuho’ Star Ken Watanabe & Director Lee Sang-il On Adapting Kabuki Coming-Of-Age Story – Cannes Studio

THE LAST DANCE (Hong Kong), dir: Anselm Chan

What it’s about: Dayo Wong plays struggling wedding planner Dominic who moves into the funeral business, where he comes up against an antagonistic Taoist priest who officiates at the ceremonies. Dominic hits a raw nerve when he starts to modernize the services. 

Deadline’s take: “The Last Dance resonates with a degree of compassion and authenticity that is often sorely lacking in Hong Kong cinema. The people have spoken. Evidently, stories like these are what the city craves right now, and Chan has dutifully stepped up at a time when his community is struggling more than ever to hold onto its voice.”  

Director’s comment: “People had this impression of Hong Kong films being about action, kung fu and all that. But really, the topic I’ve dealt with is actually much more of a global trend. … A lot of stories are about characters who can really generate resonance among audiences. Audiences are much more sophisticated nowadays. Here, we’re dealing with a really universal theme. It’s about death, about life, which is global.”

Key festivals/awards: Macau (Best Director, Actor, Actress); Asia-Pacific Film Festival (Best Director); Shanghai (Best Director/Film of the Year); Chinese American Film Festival (Best Screenplay, Outstanding Film). Also won Best Screenplay at the Golden Roosters; Actress, Actor and Supporting Actor from the Hong Kong Directors Guild; and converted five nominations (out of 18) to wins at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

RELATED: Chan Mou Yin Anselm On How He Crafted His Box Office Hit & Hong Kong Oscar Entry ‘The Last Dance’ – Contenders International 

LEFT-HANDED GIRL (Taiwan), dir: Shih-Ching Tsou; U.S. Distributor: Netflix

What it’s about: A single mother and her two daughters relocate to Taipei to open a night market stall after several years of living in the countryside. This brings them into closer proximity with the mother’s family. It’s not a particularly happy reunion for the youngest daughter, whose left-handedness upsets her superstitious grandfather, who tells her never to use her “devil hand.”

Deadline’s take: “Shih-Ching shows strong command of storytelling and shifting tones with high dramatics that could careen out of control but never do, instead keeping us on the edge of our seats.”

Director’s comment: “The ending definitely has elements of Secret and Lies. We’ve also watched a lot of Dogma films, things like The Celebration. There’s a lot of human emotion and questions around how you deal with human emotion and make peace with yourself.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Critics’ Week at Cannes (Gan Foundation Award for Distribution), and also played New Horizons International, Melbourne, Deauville,  TIFF, London, Stockholm (Best Actress), Montclair (Breakthrough Director), Golden Horse (Best New Performer) and Zurich (Special Mention). Other prizes include being on the National Board of Review’s Top 5 International Films list.

RELATED: ‘Left-Handed Girl’ Director Shih-Ching Tsou Talks Cannes Critics’ Week Title Produced & Edited By Sean Baker: “It’s A Love Letter To Taiwan” – Deadline Studio

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS (Iceland), dir: Hylnur Palmason; U.S. Distributor: Janus Films

What it’s about: Captures a year in the life of a family as the parents navigate their separation.

Director’s comment: “This film is about nature, about what we build, rebuild or destroy, about what unites and divides us, miscommunication and conflicting feelings. But it is above all about family, that is the core of the film and its beating heart – which is a natural extension of my previous films, both short and long.”

Key festivals/awards: Cannes Film Festival Premiere section (Palm Dog prize); played Sydney, San Sebastian, Ghent (Special Mention), Festival del Cinema Europeo (Cinematography, FIPRESCI) and Chicago. Made NBR’s Top 5 International Films list. 

RELATED: ‘The Love That Remains’ Trailer: Janus Films Set January 30 Release For Iceland’s Oscar Entry

MY FATHER’S SHADOW (UK), dir: Akinola Davies; U.S. Distributor: Mubi

What it’s about: A Nigerian father strives to protect and bond with his two estranged sons during the course of a single day in the capital Lagos during the 1993 election as unrest threatens their journey home.

Director’s comment: “I think people have this obsession about Nigeria in many instances, because you hear it in the music and you see it in the fashion or talent. But actually, it serves to know a little bit more than just those things, because it’s a really magical and complex place. … The history of Nigerian cinema is already rich, deep and eclectic, and it is wonderful to be able to contribute to the ongoing tapestry of that, and at this level.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard (Golden Camera – Special Mention), Seville European Film Festival (Best Film), Pingyao International (Best Director), Montclair (Best First Feature), Chicago (Special Mention), London. Other prizes include Best Director at the BIFAs and two wins at the Gotham Awards (Outstanding Lead Performance, Breakthrough Director).

RELATED: Akinola Davies Jr. & Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù Talk ‘My Father’s Shadow’ & Positioning Stories From Nigeria On A Global Stage – Cannes Studio

NO OTHER CHOICE (Korea), dir: Park Chan-wook; U.S. Distributor: Neon)

What it’s about: Lee Byung-hun plays You Man-su, a loyal paper mill employee who is laid off out of the blue. Desperate to maintain his family’s comfortable lifestyle, he resorts to deadly methods to secure a job in a competitive market.

Deadline’s take: “Park is no stranger to comedy, and it’s been a feature of his work forever, usually the grim, Hitchcockian kind, and there’s a hefty amount of that on display here. But there’s also a broader, sillier strain of humor that pops up every now and then … and it’s on full display here. Lee is in his element, but while Man-su’s abject desperation is truly pathetic at times, Lee always sells the emotion.”

Director’s comment: “After reading the screenplay, the first question that Lee asked me was, ‘Can it be funny?’ My response was, ‘The funnier the better — you can make it as comedic as you want.’ And after that, like playing a game of ping pong, we would throw a funny idea at each other, then we would develop it further on our own, and throw it back at the other person. That constant development of humor has led to the film that you see today.”

Key festivals/awards: Venice premiere, followed by TIFF (International People’s Choice Award for Best Film), Stockholm (Best Film) and Sitges (Best Director). Was nominated for 14 Blue Dragon awards, winning seven including Best Film, Director, Actress and Supporting Actress; has three Golden Globe nominations: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

RELATED: ‘No Other Choice’ Director Park Chan-wook On South Korea’s Darkly Comic Oscar Submission: “Lee Byung Hun Asked Me, ‘Can It Be Funny?’”– Contenders International

PALESTINE 36 (Palestine), dir: Annemarie Jacir; U.S. Distributor: Watermelon Pictures

What it’s about: A period drama about the 1930s Arab revolt against British colonial rule in Palestine. 

Director’s comment: “What happened in 1936 sets the stage for what happens 12 years later. Everybody talks about 1948 and everything after, but the roots of all this begin so much earlier. I’m obsessed with the period. I’ve read everything I can get my hands on. … What struck me was the way that people didn’t foresee what was going to happen and how bad it would get. None of the characters in the film have a clue that the Nakba [catastrophe] is coming.”

Key festivals/awards: World premiered at Toronto, and played Tokyo (Grand Prix), Sao Paulo (Audience Award), Arab Film Festival in San Francisco and Asian World Film Festival (Special Jury Prize).

RELATED: Palestinian Director Annemarie Jacir Talks Decade-Long Battle To Bring Arab Revolt Drama ‘Palestine 36’ To Big Screen: ” I’m Obsessed With The Period”

A POET (Colombia), dir: Simón Mesa Soto; U.S. Distributor: 1-2 Speical

What it’s about: First-time actor Ubeimar Rio stars as Oscar, a failed writer who is unemployed, living with family and wanders the streets of Medellín in a drunken stupor, lamenting the state of literature in his home country. He gets the opportunity to mentor a young student and sees it as a chance at redemption.

Key festivals/awards: World premiered at Cannes, winning the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. Also played San Sebastian (Horizons Award), Munich (CineCoPro Award), Melbourne (Bright Horizons Award), International Film Festival of India (Best Actor), Hamptons, TIFF and El Gouna (Golden Star). The movie is nominated for Best International Film at the Indie Spirits. 

RELATED: Colombia Picks Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Winner ‘A Poet’ For 2026 International Feature Oscar Race

THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE (Iraq), dir: Hasan Hadi; U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

What it’s about: Follows 9-year-old Lamia, who is tasked with baking a cake for her classmates to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday in 1990s Iraq. Gathering the ingredients in a time of shortages is a monumental challenge, but failure to deliver could lead to prison or death for her family. 

Deadline’s take: “Although this is a small film with its focus on humanity within the country, it takes on extra relevance in showing life under an autocracy where the leader expects complete allegiance at all times, even down to his birthday cakes. With no spoiler intended, I can only say the film’s final images have haunted me for weeks since seeing this masterful debut.”

Key festivals/awards: Debuted in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes where it won the Audience Award and the Camera d’Or for Best Debut Feature. Among other fests and prizes are Stockholm (Best Directorial Debut), Santa Fe (Best Narrative Feature), San Sebastian, Hamptons (Golden Starfish Narrative Feature) and Athens (Audience Award).

RELATED: ‘The President’s Cake’ Director Hasan Hadi Reveals Sad Childhood Story That Inspired Iraq’s Oscar Entry – Contenders International

THE SECRET AGENT (Brazil), dir: Kleber Mendonça Filho; U.S. Distributor: Neon

What it’s about: It’s 1977 Brazil, and Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during Carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son, but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.

Deadline’s take: “Moura plays the unsuspecting ‘newbie’ in town with conviction and slow reveal that he is hiding more than he lets on. The very large supporting cast … fill in all the blanks in this overlong — at 158 minutes — sometimes rambling scenario that Filho nevertheless has managed to infuse with style and widescreen excitement.”

Director’s comment: “A lot of what I wrote into the film happened because of the experience we had in the Bolsonaro years. We also have the pandemic coupled with that. So it was a very strong moment for people to — we used to say in Portuguese — hold each other’s hands. That’s what we did. We banded together. And I think every time there is a dramatic moment in society, people have to stick together and take care of each other. That seems to catch a lot of people off guard when they see the film. I think many people think they’re going to see a classic dictatorship, about times of repression, and it’s actually very much about love and affection and people taking care of each other.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Cannes where it won Best Actor and Best Director. Myriad other festival play includes Zurich (Golden Eye for Moura), Stockholm (Cinematography), San Sebastian, Pingyao (People’s Choice), Chicago (Best Male Performance) and Santa Barbara (Virtuoso Award). It has also scooped prizes from such bodies as the NYFCC (Best Actor, Best International Film), the National Board of Review (Top Five International Films) and LAFCA (Best Film Not in the English Language). Three Golden Globe nominations (Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama).

RELATED: ‘The Secret Agent’: Read The Screenplay For Kleber Mendonca Filho’s Triple Cannes Winner And Brazil’s Oscar Entry

SENTIMENTAL VALUE (Norway), dir: Joachim Trier; U.S. Distributor: Neon

What it’s about: The film follows two sisters — Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) and Nora (Renate Reinsve) — who reunite with their estranged, charismatic father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a once-famous director who proposes a role in what he hopes to be his comeback film to stage actress Nora, who turns it down. Elle Fanning plays the young American starlet who takes the role and inadvertently finds herself caught in the family crossfire.

Deadline’s take: “This may be the closest Trier has gotten to the master of this kind of human conflict, Ingmar Bergman, whose films would seem to be an influence, or at the very least an inspiration. … Sentimental Value is a film that sneaks up on you, more meditative than maybe expected but also one that will not leave your mind so easily.”

Director’s comment: “The idea of writing women when you’re a man, I never found it problematic and I don’t know why. Eskil [Vogt] and I, we sit there and we’re not those characters anyway. And we both have sisters, by the way, and we both have female partners who have sisters. I never saw it as an issue. And at the same time, I’m always interested in the vulnerability of people regardless of gender. My early films were a lot about men who felt that they were maybe too emotional to fit into the standardized kind of male machismo identity thing. So, I think it’s more about identity and characters than gender for me, if I may say so. It’s such a delicate subject, but that’s how I feel.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Cannes where it won the Grand Prize then played TIFF, San Sebastian, Munich (International Audience Award), Montclair (Audience Award), Locarno and Hamptons (Best Narrative Feature). Among its other prizes are Best Supporting Actress for Lilleaas and Top 5 International Films from the NBR, Best Supporting Performance for Skarsgård from LAFCA and the BIFA for Best International Independent Film. Has 10 nominations from the New York Film Critics Online, and eight each at the Golden Globes and the European Film Awards as well as seven at the Critics Choice Awards.

RELATED: The Fraught Sisterly Dynamics of ‘Sentimental Value’ Made Elle Fanning Nervous When Her Sister Dakota Screened It For First Time – Contenders Los Angeles

SIRÂT (Spain), dir: Oliver Laxe; U.S. Distributor: Neon

What it’s about: A man and his son arrive at a remote rave in the mountains of southern Morocco. They are looking for Mar, their daughter and sister, who disappeared months ago at one of these parties that never end. They hand out her photo over and over again, surrounded by electronic music and a kind of freedom they have never known. There, they decide to follow a group of ravers in search of one last party in the desert, where they hope to find her.

Deadline’s take: “Part existential road movie, part apocalyptic sci-fi, it’s a puzzling mix of Zabriskie Point and Fury Road that starts with a bang but ends in a curiously minor key. Some of its images are indelible, in the same way Antonioni’s were in 1970, but Laxe’s major weapon here is his sound design, a weaponized barrage of techno with sub-bass that hits like an earthquake and rumbles in the gut.”

Director’s comment: “I like adventure films because they challenge us in a deep way. There’s a material epic or a physical adventure, and at the same time, the adventure has a metaphysical aspect. It’s like you are making an adventure in sight.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Cannes, winning the Jury Prize (in a tie), and went on to such shows as San Sebastian, Pula (Best Feature), Montclair (Fiction Feature Competition) and Chicago (Best Feature). Among its laurels from other groups, Sirat counts Best International Feature from the Toronto Film Critics Association, a spot on the National Board of Review’s Top 5 International Films list and Best Music Score from LAFCA. Nominations include two from the Critics Choice Awards, nine EFA nods, one Indie Spirit nom, four from the New York Film Critics Online and two at the Golden Globes. 

RELATED: ‘Sirât’ Filmmaker Óliver Laxe On Why The Abstraction & Radicality Of The Moroccan Desert Was The Perfect Backdrop For His Cannes Competition Title — Cannes Studio 

SOUND OF FALLING (Germany), dir: Mascha Schilinski; U.S. Distributor: Mubi

What it’s about: Centers on four women separated by decades but united by trauma who uncover the truth behind the walls of an isolated four-sided farmstead in the Altmark region.

Deadline’s take: “Cinema is too small a word for what this sprawling yet intimate epic achieves in its ethereal, unnerving brilliance. … One viewing might not be enough, two will certainly make things a bit clearer, but Sound of Falling — like its moody title — is not a puzzle waiting to be solved. Instead, it’s an exhilarating experience, frustrating at times, but in the best, most challenging way.”

Director’s comment: “When you talk about trauma that dates back to ancestry, it’s usually the War. But we weren’t interested in major events like war but smaller ones — misfortunes, the feelings that sometimes have a tremendous impact on a character and that people don’t talk about it.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Cannes, winning the Jury Prize (in a tie), then played Stockholm (Best Director), Munich, Montclair, Melbourne, Athens (Best Picture) and Chicago (Best Director, Sound), among others. The film has eight EFA nominations.

RELATED: ‘Sound Of Falling’ Filmmaker Mascha Schilinski On Origins Of Her Generational-Trauma Epic – Cannes

THE TALE OF SILYAN (North Macedonia), dir: Tamara Kotevska; U.S. Distributor: National Geographic Documentary Films

What it’s about: Documents the story of Nikola, a former farmer left behind by mass migration who gets a job at a landfill. There, he finds an injured white stork, a species of bird that traditionally has a mythical status in North Macedonia. As he nurses the stork back to health, the pair form a bond.

Director’s comment: “It’s not … a rare situation to happen that people in Macedonia in these villages where there’s storks would rescue a stork. But we didn’t expect this would happen on the landfill, and that Nikola will actually have the will and the decision to take care of this hurt animal. So that naturally prolonged the shooting for another year. … It [became] the third act of the film that brought a lot of hope to all of us.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Venice, where it won the Cinema & Arts Award, then followed up with appearances at TIFF, Valladolid and Chicago (Best Documentary). It also won Best Feature Documentary and Best Director from the International Documentary Association and has an Indie Spirit nom.

RELATED: Man, Bird, Myth, Magic: ‘The Tale Of Silyan’ Rises On The Wings Of The White Stork – Contenders Documentary

THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia), dir: Kaouther Ben Hania; U.S. Distributor: Willa

What it’s about: The drama reconstructs the events surrounding the killing of 6-year-old Hind Rajab, her four cousins, her aunt and uncle and the two paramedics who came to her rescue after their car came under fire as they tried to flee Gaza City in January 2024 amid Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip. As Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call and try to keep Hind on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. 

Deadline’s take: “Ben Hania seems to have taken some inspiration from Gustav Möller’s 2021 film The Guilty, a single-set thriller that consists almost entirely of (fictional) phone calls. The fact that calls here are so unbearably real adds an extra gut punch to an already distressing scenario. The focus on Red Crescent also keeps the film firmly on course; The Voice of Hind Rajab is not a film about either side of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza but in the moral no-man’s land in between.”

Director’s comment: “The heart of this film is something very simple, and very hard to live with. I cannot accept a world where a child calls for help and no one comes. That pain, that failure, belongs to all of us. This story is not just about Gaza. It speaks to a universal grief. And I believe that fiction (especially when it draws from verified, painful, real events) is cinema’s most powerful tool. More powerful than the noise of breaking news or the forgetfulness of scrolling. Cinema can preserve a memory. Cinema can resist amnesia.”

Key festivals/awards: Premiered in Venice to a record standing ovation and ultimately winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize. Played San Sebastian (Audience Award), Hamptons, Ghent (Best Film), London and Chicago (Jury Prize). It is nominated for two EFAs, one Golden Globe and one New York Film Critics Online statue.

RELATED: ‘The Voice Of Hind Rajab’ Trailer: First Look At Kaouther Ben Hania’s Venice-Winning Drama 

Special Mention
Arcadia (Greece)
Franz (Poland)
Magellan (Philippines) 
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Chile)
The Sea (Israel)
Silent City Driver (Mongolia)