Oscars 2027: Arab Nations Announce Official Submissions for Best International Feature Film

Iraq, Morocco, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan have selected the films that will represent them in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards. The five films tackle markedly different subjects, from the legacy of the battle against ISIS in Iraq and the treatment of Moroccan seasonal workers in Spain to daily life during the war in Gaza, an Egyptian family story spanning decades and a Jordanian drama about a mother confronting her son’s deteriorating mental health. More Arab countries are expected to announce their selections before the academy's September 30 submission deadline.

The 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be announced on December 15, followed by the five final nominees on January 21. The 99th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on March 14, 2027. Here are the Arab films to know.

Iraq: No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman

Iraq has selected No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman, an action drama by Kurdish-Norwegian filmmaker Halkawt Mustafa. The Kurdish-language film follows Vyan, a sniper who has learnt to suppress her emotions after years of war. When she discovers that her younger sister, believed to have disappeared during a 2014 ISIS assault, may still be alive, she returns to Mosul to find her. Avan Jamal stars as Vyan, a Kurdish sniper searching for her missing sister, alongside Norwegian actor Thorbjorn Harr. The film is a Norway-Iraq-UAE-Sweden co-production and marks Mustafa's second film to represent Iraq at the Oscars, following El Clasico in 2016.

Morocco: La Mas Dulce

Morocco will be represented by Laila Marrakchi's La Mas Dulce, also known internationally as Strawberries. The film follows Hasna and Meriem, two young Moroccan women who travel to Andalusia to work as seasonal strawberry pickers in the hope of improving the lives of their families. They instead encounter exploitation, harassment and poor working conditions, eventually facing the decision of whether to speak out against those employing them. Morocco's selection committee chose the film unanimously on September 2.

Palestine: Citizen Osama

Palestine has chosen Ahmed Hassouna's documentary Citizen Osama, filmed in northern Gaza during the war. The 69-minute film follows Osama Al-Ashi, a former artistic photographer who becomes a war documentarian, recording the devastation around him while trying to protect his wife and newborn child. Palestinian Minister of Culture Imad Hamdan announced the Oscar selection on August 31, making it Palestine's 19th submission in the category since 2003.

Egypt: The Stories

Egypt has selected The Stories, a 2025 semi-autobiographical anthology drama written and directed by Abu Bakr Shawky. It follows the cross-cultural romance between an aspiring Egyptian pianist and an Austrian woman, tracing their lives against the backdrop of Egypt from the late 1960s to the 1980s. The cast includes Nelly Karim, Ahmed Kamal, Amir El Masry, Sabry Fawaz, Amr Abed, Sherif El Desouky and Ahmed El Azaar.

Jordan: Sink

Jordan has chosen Zain Duraie’s Sink as its submission. The drama stars Clara Khoury as Nadia, a mother struggling to respond as her teenage son Basil (Mohammed Nizar) experiences a worsening mental health crisis. Duraie’s first feature premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025 and later screened at the BFI London and Red Sea film festivals.