Here's the List of Films Competing With India’s Homebound at Oscars 2026

India has officially selected Neeraj Ghaywan’s drama Homebound as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. The announcement came on September 19, 2025, by the Film Federation of India (FFI), following a careful selection process that considered multiple films across different languages. Starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, Homebound is slated to release later this month.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited global film industries to submit their best works for this category annually since 1956. The award recognises feature-length films produced outside the United States with primarily non-English dialogue. The International Feature Film Executive Committee oversees the submission and evaluation process. Formerly called the Best Foreign Language Film, the category was renamed Best International Feature Film in 2019 after AMPAS deemed the term “foreign” outdated.

For the 98th Academy Awards, eligible films must have had a theatrical release in their home countries between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2025. Papua New Guinea has submitted a film for the first time this year. A 15-film shortlist will be revealed on December 16, 2025, with the final five nominees announced on January 22, 2026.

Homebound will compete with a wide range of international films from around the world, reflecting diverse languages, cultures, and storytelling styles. Some of the notable entries include:

• • Armenia – My Armenian Phantoms by Tamara Stepanyan (Armenian, Russian)

  • Austria – Peacock by Bernhard Wenger (German)

  • Azerbaijan – Taghiyev: Oil by Zaur Gasimli (Azerbaijani)

  • Belgium – Young Mothers by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (French)

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina – Blum: Masters of Their Own Destiny by Jasmila Žbanic (Bosnian, English)

  • Brazil – The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho (Portuguese, German)

  • Bulgaria – Tarika by Milko Lazarov (Bulgarian)

  • Cambodia – Tenement by Inrasothythep Neth, Sokyou Chea (Khmer, Japanese)

  • Canada – The Things You Kill by Alireza Khatami (Turkish)

  • Chile – The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes (Spanish)

  • Colombia – A Poet by Simón Mesa Soto (Spanish)

  • Costa Rica – The Altar Boy, the Priest and the Gardener by Juan Manuel Fernández (Spanish)

  • Croatia – Fiume o morte! by Igor Bezinovic (Croatian, Italian)

  • Czech Republic – I’m Not Everything I Want to Be by Klára Tasovská (Czech)

  • Denmark – Mr. Nobody Against Putin by David Borenstein (Russian, English)

  • Dominican Republic – Pepe by Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias (Spanish, Afrikaans, Mbukushu, German)

  • Ecuador – Chuzalongo by Diego Ortuño (Spanish, Kichwa)

  • Egypt – Happy Birthday by Sarah Goher (Arabic)

  • Estonia – Rolling Papers by Meel Paliale (Estonian)

  • Finland – 100 Litres of Gold by Teemu Nikki (Finnish)

  • France – It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi (Persian)

  • Georgia – Panopticon by George Sikharulidze (Georgian)

  • Germany – Sound of Falling by Mascha Schilinski (German, Low German)

  • Hungary – Orphan by László Nemes (Hungarian)

  • Iceland – The Love That Remains by Hlynur Pálmason (Icelandic)

  • India – Homebound by Neeraj Ghaywan (Hindi)

  • Indonesia – Sore: Wife from the Future by Yandy Laurens (Indonesian, Croatian, English)

  • Iran – Cause of Death: Unknown by Ali Zarnegar (Persian)

  • Iraq – The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi (Arabic)

  • Ireland – Sanatorium by Gar O’Rourke (Ukrainian)

  • Japan – Kokuho by Lee Sang-il (Japanese)

  • Jordan – All That’s Left of You by Cherien Dabis (Arabic)

  • Kyrgyzstan – Black Red Yellow by Aktan Arym Kubat (Kyrgyz, Russian)

  • Latvia – Dog of God by Lauris Abele, Raitis Abele (Latvian, German)

  • Lithuania – The Southern Chronicles by Ignas Miškinis (Lithuanian)

  • Montenegro – The Tower of Strength by Nikola Vukcevic (Multiple languages)

  • Morocco – Calle Málaga by Maryam Touzani (Spanish, Arabic)

  • Nepal – Anjila by Milan Chams (Nepali)

  • Netherlands – Reedland by Sven Bresser (Dutch)

  • North Macedonia – The Tale of Silyan by Tamara Kotevska (Macedonian)

  • Norway – Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier (Norwegian, English)

  • Palestine – Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir (Arabic, English)

  • Panama – Beloved Tropic by Ana Endara (Spanish)

  • Papua New Guinea – Papa Buka by Bijukumar Damodaran (Tok Pisin, Hindi, English)

  • Paraguay – Under the Flags, the Sun by Juanjo Pereira (Spanish, Guarani, German, French, English, Portuguese)

  • Peru – Motherland by Marco Panatonic (Quechua, Spanish)

  • Philippines – Magellan by Lav Diaz (Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, French)

  • Poland – Franz by Agnieszka Holland (German, Czech)

  • Portugal – Banzo by Margarida Cardoso (Portuguese)

  • Romania – Traffic by Teodora Mihai (Romanian, Dutch, English)

  • Singapore – Stranger Eyes by Yeo Siew Hua (Mandarin, English, Singaporean Hokkien)

  • Slovakia – Father by Tereza Nvotová (Slovak)

  • Slovenia – Little Trouble Girls by Urška Djukic (Slovene)

  • South Korea – No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook (Korean)

  • Spain – Sirat by Oliver Laxe (Spanish, French)

  • Sweden – Eagles of the Republic by Tarik Saleh (Arabic)

  • Switzerland – Late Shift by Petra Volpe (German, Swiss German)

  • Taiwan – Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou (Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien)

  • Thailand – A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Thai, English, Isan)

  • Tunisia – The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania (Arabic)

  • Turkey – One of Those Days When Hemme Dies by Murat Firatoglu (Turkish)

  • Ukraine – 2000 Meters to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov (Ukrainian, English)

  • Uruguay – Don’t You Let Me Go by Ana Guevara, Leticia Jorge (Spanish)

All these films will now compete alongside India’s Homebound for a nomination at the 98th Academy Awards. With more than 70 entries worldwide, the competition promises to be intense, reflecting rich cultural narratives, innovative storytelling, and cinematic craft. The 15-film shortlist is expected on December 16, 2025, with the final five nominees revealed on January 22, 2026.