Five German motion pictures have been nominated for an Academy Award
German Films Announce Submission of Five Films for the 2026 Academy Awards
German Films, the international promotion agency for German cinema, has announced the submission of five films for the 98th Academy Awards, set to take place on March 15, 2026. The films in contention are "Amrum" by Fatih Akin, "The Tiger" by Dennis Gansel, "Looking into the Sun" by Mascha Schilinski, "John Cranko" by Joachim A. Lang, and "Riefenstahl" by Andres Veiel.
The selection process for the German entry for the 2026 Academy Awards will be conducted by an independent jury. The jury's decision will be made on August 20 and 21, 2025, in Munich.
According to German Films, the Academy Awards ceremony for 2026 will feature a category for "Best International Feature Film". The shortlist of 15 titles in this category will be published on December 16, 2025. Although no specific date for the announcement of the selected film has been revealed, it is confirmed that the announcement will be made before the shortlist publication.
Countries, including Germany, must submit their single official film to the Academy by the Academy’s submission deadline of 5 p.m. PT on October 1, 2025. The Academy’s shortlist for the category will be revealed on December 16, 2025, and nominations will be announced on January 22, 2026. The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will occur in early/mid 2026.
The Academy accepts only one official submission from each country, and the submitting organization/jury/committee must be an approved body whose membership list (at least 50% artists/craftspeople) is provided to the Academy. A list of the selection committee members must be submitted to the Academy no later than Friday, August 15, 2025, or by the submission deadline as published by the Academy.
Germany's national selection follows the Academy's deadlines and national committee rules. Typically, Germany announces its own shortlist and official submission before the Academy’s submission deadline. For the 98th Awards cycle, this means Germany’s shortlist/official submission would normally be announced before October 1, 2025.
After countries submit, the International Feature Film Executive Committee oversees review of entries and arranges screenings for Academy committees who vote for the shortlist and later the nominees. From the shortlist, a smaller group of nominees will be announced on January 22, 2026.
[1] Academy Awards Rules and Procedures for the 98th Awards [3] Variety: Academy Awards 2026: Dates, Deadlines, and Key Rules
The five German films submitted for the 2026 Academy Awards fall under the category of 'movies-and-tv' in the realm of entertainment. The international selection process for the German entry in this prestigious event will be conducted in August 2025.
