As you read this, Uganda’s Oscar Selection Committee is yet to announce Uganda’s entry or submission for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Film category. This category is the only one at the awards where films not made in, or exhibited in the US, get a chance to compete for the biggest prize in the film industry.
However, at the end of the show, most of the time, if not all the time, the film that walks away with the statue is one whose producers managed to take it to America’s festival circuit and later gained a cult following through extensive Oscar campaigns in the US. If you care to follow, you would know that the local selection committee has, over the years, made only one selection: Tembele, a film by director and producer Morris Mugisha.
This was the first time a Ugandan film was fully submitted after the dramatic withdrawal of Kony: Order From Above in the years prior. Uganda has, however, had representation at the Oscars in other ways, most notably Bobi Wine: The People’s President, which was nominated for Best Documentary Film. That nomination made one of its directors, Moses Bwayo, the first Ugandan to receive both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
At the moment, there are a couple of films one could expect to make the cut as Uganda’s submission. But there’s a catch for both of them. One of these is Matt Bish’s Janani, a biopic about Bishop Janani Luwum, who was assassinated during Idi Amin’s regime. The other contender is Hassan Mageye’s Kimote. Both films are revered for their production values and boundary-pushing, but neither spent more than four days in cinemas-yet a film is required to screen for at least seven days to qualify for submission. Beyond that, while Janani may have been made in more than one language, it is predominantly told in English.
As Ugandan film enthusiasts wait in anticipation of which film could represent the country, different African countries have already begun announcing their submissions. The truth is, most of them have been announcing that they are not selecting any film for next year’s Oscars. Powerhouses such as Nigeria-whose Nollywood is billed as the biggest industry on the continent-and Kenya have already communicated that they are not submitting films. Other countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Rwanda (which got its selection committee this year), and Ghana, among others, are yet to declare their stand-at least by the time of writing this.
That doesn’t mean the continent has been left out. By the time of this writing, South Africa, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia had all made submissions.
South Africa is not new to the Best International Film category. In 2006, Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi won Best Foreign Film, back when the category was still called by that name. A year earlier, they had a nomination with Darrell Roodt’s Yesterday. Their most recent success came in 2018 when John Trengove’s The Wound made the shortlist.
For next year’s Academy Awards, South Africa has submitted The Heart Is a Muscle by Imran Hamdulay, a crime thriller that follows a man whose five-year-old son goes missing at a barbecue. The father’s frantic response sets off a chain of events that unearths secrets he hoped would remain hidden. Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, however, looks well positioned to make the shortlist and perhaps even secure a nomination. The film, according to Screen Daily, dramatises the true story of a six-year-old Palestinian girl’s call to Red Crescent volunteers while trapped in a car under fire from Israeli forces.
This story is not only relevant but timely-almost a call to action. It wouldn’t be surprising if the film secures nominations beyond Best International Film.
It is produced by Tunisia’s MIME Films and France’s Tanit Films, alongside producer Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae, and Jim Wilson. The film recently gained notoriety when Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and Jonathan Glazer joined as executive producers.
Other African submissions so far include Egypt’s Happy Birthday, Morocco’s Called Málaga, and Senegal’s Demba. Senegal, now a favorite in cinema circles, only began submitting films to the Oscars in 2018-a year before Uganda. Since then, it has been shortlisted three times out of six entries. Demba, directed by Mamadou Dia, is his second submission after Nafi’s Father in 2021. Demba follows a man struggling with grief and depression as the anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, but who finds solace in reconnecting with his estranged son.
The storylines across the continent are diverse, and since submissions are still underway, more exciting films are expected. Will Africa get a nomination once the announcement is made next year? For now, only the buzz can tell.