RIYADH: A record 12 films backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation are in the running for best international feature film at the 99th Academy Awards, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
Eleven are their countries’ official submissions, while “Angh” qualified to submit directly after winning the Platform Award at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, the foundation said.
Under new Academy rules for the 99th Oscars, winners of select international film festival prizes, including the Platform Award, can submit directly for consideration in the category.
The 11 national submissions are “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Roqia,” “Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars,” “The Stories,” “Guria,” “Four Seasons in Java,” “Sink,” “Strawberries,” “Ben’Imana,” “We Are All Strangers” and “The Other Side of the Sun.”
Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said the showing reflected its commitment to supporting filmmakers from development through international recognition.
“The Red Sea Fund backs a broad slate of films each year, and for 12 of them to reach the Oscars race is an extraordinary moment of pride for the Red Sea Film Foundation,” he said.
“For 11, 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.”
The entries follow festival successes for foundation-backed films this year. “Ben’Imana,” now Rwanda’s official submission, won the Camera d’Or at Cannes, while the foundation had its largest presence at Toronto, with eight supported films, including “Angh.”
The shortlist for best international feature film will be announced on Dec. 15, followed by nominations on Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles.