France has selected Jafar Panahi‘s Iranian drama It Was Just an Accident to represent the country at next year’s Oscars in the best international feature category.
This is the second year running that a European country has nominated a film from an Iranian dissident director for the Academy Awards. Last year, Germany put forward Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig, which secured an Oscar nomination. It is also the second year running that France has picked a non-French-language film for the best international feature race, following last year’s selection of Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez (which was also nominated).
It Was Just an Accident is Panahi’s first film since being released from prison in Iran in 2023. The thriller follows a group of former political prisoners who kidnap a man they believe to be their torturer and then debate whether to kill or forgive him. It premiered in Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or for best film. It’s considered a frontrunner for the best international feature race.
Neon has U.S. rights to It Was Just an Accident and is expected to throw the full weight of its marketing might behind the title during awards season. Tom Quinn’s indie outfit is an Oscar whisperer, having designed the historic best picture campaign for Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite as well as the awards run for Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, which was nominated for 5 Oscars and won for best original screenplay.
France is a global champ at the Oscars, with a total of 42 nominations in the best international feature/best foreign-language film category, more than any other country. Le Grand Nation has racked up a total of 12 Oscar wins in the category, second only to Italy’s 14. But the last French entry to take the best international prize was Régis Wargnier’s Indochine back in 1993.
The Academy will announce the first shortlist of 15 films in contention for the 2026 best international feature Oscar on Dec. 16, 2025. The final nominations will be announced on Jan. 22, 2026. The 98th Academy Awards Ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026.