France Chooses Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just An Accident' as the Representative for the 2026 Best International Feature Film Award at the Oscars
In the bustling world of cinema, France has made a significant move by choosing Jafar Panahi's film "It Was Just an Accident" as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. This tense thriller, co-produced and distributed by Les Films Pelléas and Memento Distribution, has already made waves at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Palme d'Or.
The film tells the story of Vahid Mubasseri's character, who kidnaps a man he believes tortured him in prison, intending to bury him alive in the desert. Maryam Adshari, who plays a wedding photographer, was once imprisoned with Mubasseri's character.
France's decision comes after a year of tumultuous awards campaigns. The Mexico-set musical film Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard was initially one of the 2024-25 awards season's hot favourites, garnering a near-record 13 nominations, including in the Best International Feature Film category. However, the Oscar campaign for Emilia Pérez hit a snag when homophobic and racist social media posts by the film's star Karla Sofía Gascon, dating back to the early 2020s, were unveiled in early 2025.
The selection committee for France's entry to the 98th Academy Awards included Carole Baraton, Thierry de Clermont-Tonnerre, Audrey Diwan, Ron Dyens, Grégoire Melin, Adeline Monzier, Sylvie Pialat, Clémence Poesy, Patrick Wachsberger, Florian Zeller, and was presided over by Charles Tesson.
France last won the international film Oscar with Régis Wargnier's Indochine in 1993. Since then, the country's filmmakers have enjoyed success outside of the Best International Feature Film category. Justine Triet's Cannes Palme d'Or winner Anatomy of a Fall won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 2022.
Other shortlisted candidates for France's entry to the 98th Academy Awards include Ugo Bienvenu's Arco, Hafsia Herzi's The Little Sister, Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague, and Rebecca Zlotowski's A Private Life starring Jodie Foster. Alice Diop's Saint Omér and Tran Anh Hung's The Taste of Things also made it onto the shortlist.
The deadline for submission to the Best International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards is October 1. As the world awaits the Oscars, "It Was Just an Accident" stands as a strong contender, offering a gripping narrative and a powerful performance from its cast.
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