# Nepal's Cannes Winner Enters the Oscar Race

> Nepal picks a Cannes Jury Prize winner for the Oscars, and a new Academy rule quietly rewrites who gets to enter.
- Title: Nepal's Cannes Winner Enters the Oscar Race · Variety
- Summary: Nepal picks a Cannes Jury Prize winner for the Oscars, and a new Academy rule quietly rewrites who gets to enter. A festival win can now carry a film into…
- Keywords: oscars, international film, nepal, cannes, film festivals, entertainment, culture, Nepal's, Winner, Enters, Oscar, Race
- Source: Variety — https://variety.com/lists/international-oscar-submissions-2027
- Author: Leo Barraclough,Naman Ramachandran
- Published: 2026-09-13T20:14:06+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: oscars, international film, nepal, cannes, film festivals, entertainment, culture
## The clock on the race
Countries have until Oct. 1 to submit for the international feature Oscar. The 15-film shortlist lands Dec. 15, and nominations follow on Jan. 21.
## Cannes names lead the field
Romania sent "Fjord," which took the Palme d'Or. Chile picked "The Meltdown" from Un Certain Regard, and Germany entered "Everytime," winner of that section's top prize.
## France is still deciding
One of the race's heavyweight submitters has yet to name a film, with several very different contenders on the table.

> France has not yet submitted a film, but faces several disparate choices
## A new way in
Win the top prize at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Busan or Toronto and your film can enter the race directly, no national committee approval needed.
## Nepal picks a debut
Abinash Bikram Shah's "Elephants in the Fog" is Nepal's entry for the 99th Academy Awards. It's his first feature, following a Kinnar community in a Nepalese village fighting to protect itself.
## Selling in every direction
Best Friend Forever has closed deals in the U.K., Spain, Benelux, Switzerland, Israel, Australia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, on top of France, Germany, Austria, Brazil and Nepal.
## Key takeaway

A festival win can now carry a film into the international feature race without a national committee's blessing.