- Nepal has invited filmmakers to submit entries for the 99th Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category by the September 7, 2026, deadline.
- Eligible films must have a seven-day theatrical run between October 2025 and September 2026, featuring predominantly Nepali dialogue and English subtitles.
- Candidates must involve Nepali citizens in key creative roles and meet specific technical requirements, including DCP or film print formats.
- This selection process offers Nepali filmmakers a prestigious platform to present the country’s unique stories and cultural identity to an international audience.
Kathmandu: For Nepali filmmakers dreaming of taking their stories to one of the world’s biggest film stages, the road to the Oscars has opened once again.
Nepal has begun the process of selecting its official entry for the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The Nepal International Feature Film Selection Committee–2026 has invited eligible Nepali films to compete for the chance to represent the country at the Oscars.
The committee, chaired by Laxmanath Sharma, has asked filmmakers to submit their applications by September 7, 2026. Interested producers and filmmakers must register their films with the committee’s secretariat in Kathmandu within the deadline.
For the film that is eventually selected, the process will mean much more than simply receiving a national award. It will be a chance to carry a Nepali story, its characters and its culture to an international audience.
A film must first prove its place in cinemas
Not every film released during the eligibility period can enter the competition. The film must have received certification from Nepal’s Central Film Censor Board and must have been released between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026.
It must also have been shown in commercial cinemas for at least seven consecutive days, with tickets available to the public.
Films that have had qualifying theatrical releases outside Nepal can also meet the requirement, provided the screening took place in commercial cinemas outside the United States and its territories and met the required seven-day condition.
For films that do not meet the seven-day theatrical requirement, there is another route. They may qualify if they have won a Qualifying Award at an international film festival recognized under the Academy’s rules.
The rules also make clear that a film whose first public release was through television, VOD, DVD, internet streaming or airline entertainment will not qualify.
The story must have a strong Nepali connection
At the heart of the selection is the question of what the film says about Nepal.
The committee requires at least one of the film’s director, writer or producer to be a Nepali citizen. The film must also reflect Nepali context and elements.
That connection can come through the people, places, culture, experiences and social realities portrayed on screen. For filmmakers, it means that the film chosen to represent Nepal should carry something distinctly connected to the country.
Language is also an important part of that identity. More than half of the film’s dialogue must be in Nepali, while clear and understandable English subtitles must be provided for international viewers.
For audiences outside Nepal, subtitles can be the bridge that allows them to understand not only the words spoken by the characters but also the world in which those characters live.
Technical quality matters too
A strong story alone is not enough. The film must also meet the required technical standards.
According to the committee, films must be available on 35mm or 70mm film or in Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format. A DCP submission must have a minimum resolution of 2048 × 1080 pixels and meet the required 24- or 48-frame-per-second standard.
The requirements are designed to ensure that the film can be properly presented and evaluated at the international level.
September 7 is the deadline
Filmmakers interested in competing for Nepal’s Oscar entry must complete the online application form and submit the required materials to the selection committee’s secretariat in Kathmandu by September 7.
The national selection is an important first step, but it is not the final Oscar race.
Once Nepal chooses its representative, the film will be submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It will then face the Academy’s own review and selection process alongside entries from countries around the world.
In other words, being selected as Nepal’s entry opens the door—it does not guarantee an Oscar nomination.
More than a competition
For Nepal’s film industry, the annual Oscar selection has significance beyond the award itself.
Every film carries a different version of Nepal to the screen. Some tell intimate stories about ordinary families and communities, while others explore social change, identity, migration, culture, inequality or the country’s changing way of life.
The Oscar platform offers filmmakers the possibility of taking those stories beyond Nepal and introducing them to audiences who may know little about the country or its cinema.
For a small film industry seeking a larger international audience, even being considered for the Oscars can bring valuable attention to filmmakers, actors and the wider Nepali film community.
This year, the journey begins with a deadline: September 7, 2026.
By then, filmmakers will have to decide whether their work is ready to take the next step—from Nepal’s cinemas to the international stage, carrying with it a story that speaks to where it came from.
