Eleven official country submissions include Saudi Arabia’s A Matter of Life and Death, while TIFF Platform Award winner Angh is eligible to submit directly
Jeddah : A record 12 Red Sea Film Foundation-supported films have entered the race for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, representing 12 countries across Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia.
Eleven have been selected as the official submissions of their respective countries:
- A Matter of Life and Death, dir. Anas Batahaf — Saudi Arabia
- Roqia, dir. Yanis Koussim — Algeria
- Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars, dir. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun — Chad
- The Stories, dir. Abu Bakr Shawky — Egypt
- Guria, dir. Levan Koguashvili — Georgia
- Four Seasons in Java, dir. Kamila Andini — Indonesia
- Sink, dir. Zain Duraie — Jordan
- Strawberries, dir. Laïla Marrakchi — Morocco
- Ben’Imana, dir. Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo — Rwanda
- We Are All Strangers, dir. Anthony Chen — Singapore
- The Other Side of the Sun, dir. Tawfik Sabouni — Syria
They are joined by Theja Rio’s Angh (India), which won the Platform Award at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Under new Academy rules introduced for the 99th Academy Awards, the Platform Award winner is among a select group of international festival prize winners eligible to submit directly for consideration in the category.
Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “The Red Sea Fund backs a broad slate of films each year, and for twelve of them to reach the Oscars race is an extraordinary moment of pride for the Red Sea Film Foundation. For eleven, being chosen by their countries as the official submission is in itself a significant recognition of the filmmakers and their work, and a testament to the talent and the stories emerging from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia. It reflects the growing impact of our commitment to empowering filmmakers and championing their creative visions, from the earliest stages of development through to the international stage. It has been a privilege to be part of their journeys, and we wish them every success as they continue in the Academy Awards race.”
The milestone caps a strong year for Foundation-supported cinema across Cannes, Venice and Toronto. At TIFF 2026 the Foundation marked its largest presence at the festival with eight supported films, culminating in Angh’s Platform Award, while Ben’Imana — now Rwanda’s official submission — won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes earlier in the year.
The shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be announced on 15 December 2026, with nominations on 21 January 2027. The 99th Academy Awards take place on 14 March 2027 in Los Angeles.
