Jordan is one of one hundred countries that have submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Their first submission was in 2008. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.
As of 2026, Jordan was nominated only once, for Theeb (2015).
Submissions The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1956. The International Feature Film Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.
Its first ever submission, Captain Abu Raed (2008), was the country first feature film to be made in Jordan in more than fifty years, it follows the story of an airport janitor who is mistaken as a pilot by a group of orphan children. It was directed by Los Angeles-based director, Amin Matalqa who studied filmmaking in the United States. Although the film was lauded by many Oscar pundits as a favorite, after winning the 2008 Sundance Film Festival "World Cinema" section, it ultimately failed to make the 9-film shortlist.
Amira (2021), directed by , was withdrawn by the The Royal Film Commission – Jordan due to controversy surrounding the film's subject matter. The film was criticized by prisoners' rights organizations and withdrawn "out of respect to the feelings of the prisoners and their families".
The documentary My Sweet Land (2024), about the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and directed by Sareen Hairabedian, was also withdrawn by the Royal Film Commission following diplomatic pressure from Azerbaijan. Additionally the film was banned in Jordan.
All That's Left of You (2025), directed by Cherien Dabis, made into the December shortlist, but was not nominated. It marked the first film directed by a woman to be selected as the country official submission.
Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Jordan for review by the academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.
Year(Ceremony) Film title used in nomination Original title Director Result 2008(81st) Captain Abu Raed كابتن أبو رائد Amin Matalqa 2015(88th) Theeb ذيب 2016(89th) 3000 Nights 3000 ليلة 2020(93rd) 200 Meters 200 متر 2021(94th) Amira أميرة 2022(95th) Farha فرحة Darin J. Sallam 2023(96th) Inshallah a Boy إن شاء الله ولد Amjad Al-Rasheed 2024(97th) My Sweet Land Sareen Hairabedian 2025(98th) All That's Left of You اللي باقي منك Cherien Dabis 2026(99th) Sinkغرق Zain Duraie
See also List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films Cinema of Jordan
Notes
References
External links The Official Academy Awards Database The Motion Picture Credits Database IMDb Academy Awards Page