Seven African countries submitted films for the category, but only Tunisia reached the final nominations.
By Joseph Jonathan
Tunisia continues to make history at the 2026 Oscars. Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab has been nominated in the Best International Feature Film category, becoming the only African film to make the shortlist this year. The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 15, at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood.
The full list of nominees for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Oscars, as announced on Wednesday, January 22, includes The Secret Agent (Brazil), It Was Just an Accident (France), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirāt (Spain), and Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab. Seven African countries submitted films for the category, but only Tunisia reached the final nominations.
Other submissions from the continent included Egypt (Happy Birthday), Madagascar (Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story), Morocco (Calle Málaga), Senegal (Demba), South Africa (The Heart is a Muscle), and Uganda (Kimote). The Voice of Hind Rajab was also recognised as one of the Afrocritikʼs 30 Remarkable African Feature Films of 2025.
Since its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, The Voice of Hind Rajab has drawn international acclaim, winning the Grand Jury Prize and six parallel awards. Its Venice premiere set a new record for the longest standing ovation in festival history, lasting 23 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the 22-minute record set by Pan’s Labyrinth at Cannes in 2006.
For Ben Hania, this marks a third Academy Award nomination. She previously earned recognition for The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020) in the Best International Feature Film category and for Four Daughters (2023) in the Best Documentary Feature category. Her success highlights the growth of Tunisian cinema since its first submission in 1995, positioning her as the only Tunisian filmmaker to have received multiple Oscar nominations.
The Voice of Hind Rajab’s nomination is a milestone for African cinema, underlining the continent’s ability to tell stories that resonate worldwide. While many African countries are still striving to get shortlisted, Tunisia has now celebrated three nominations in recent years, signalling both artistic maturity and global recognition.