Top prizes at six festivals now qualify films for Oscar international feature

For the 99th Oscars, a non-English-language film can qualify for the international feature category without being its country's official submission by winning the top prize at one of six festivals: Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto or Venice. The International Feature Executive Committee will review the rules each year, Meredith Shea said, according to Variety on 28 October 2026.