Palestine has submitted films for consideration for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 2003. The country had also attempted to submit a film in 2002. The Foreign Language Film 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. The award was created for the 1956 Academy Awards, succeeding the non-competitive Honorary Academy Awards which were presented between 1947 and 1955 to the best foreign language films released in the United States.
As of 2026, Palestine was nominate twice, for Paradise Now (2005) and Omar (2013).
History
Recognition by AMPAS Palestine had originally asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences permission to submit Divine Intervention in 2002, but was reportedly advised that the film would not be accepted since Palestine was not internationally recognized as a country, and because the film had not been selected by a national jury as required by official rules. The decision to bar the country on the basis of nationality proved controversial, especially since other entities without international recognition, including Hong Kong, Puerto Rico and Taiwan had long participated in the competition, receiving several Oscar nominations. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences relented a year later, and allowed the film to compete.
Name of the country When AMPAS announces their "longlist" of eligible foreign films each year, the Palestinian submission is designated as the representative of "Palestine". However, when Paradise Now succeeding in getting an Oscar nomination under this moniker, pro-Israeli groups in the United States objected to the name.78th Academy Awards – Nominees and Winners . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 20 November 2007. After intense lobbying from Jewish groups, the academy decided to designate Paradise Now as a submission from the Palestinian Authority, a move that was decried by the film's director Hany Abu-Assad.Agassi, Tirzah. "Middle East tensions hang over Palestinian nominee for an Oscar", San Francisco Chronicle, 2006-02-26. Retrieved 20 November 2007. As a compromise, the film was eventually announced as a submission from the Palestinian Territories.Paradise Now at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 20 November 2007. Subsequent to this, Salt of this Sea was once again recognized on AMPAS' official website as the representative of Palestine.
In 2014, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named Palestine as the place of origin for Hany Abu-Assad's Omar (2013), rather than the Palestinian territories, the designation used for Hany Abu-Assad's earlier work Paradise Now (2005).
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.
From Ground Zero (2024) and Palestine 36 (2025) advanced to the December shortlists, but were not nominated.
Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir is the most submitted filmmaker, with four films selected, including: Salt of this Sea (2008), When I Saw You (2012), Wajib (2017), and Palestine 36 (2025).
Other Palestinian films have been selected to represent numerous Arabic or European countries throughout the years, including: 3000 Nights (2015) by Mai Masri, 200 Meters (2020) by Ameen Nayfeh, Amira (2021) by Mohamed Diab, Farha (2022) by Darin J. Sallam, and All That's Left of You (2025) by Cherien Dabis, all representing Jordan; The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025) by Kaouther Ben Hania, nominated representing Tunisia; and Who Is Still Alive (2025) by Nicolas Wadimoff, representing Switzerland.
Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Palestine for review by the academy for the award by year. All films were primarily spoken in Arabic.
Year(Ceremony) English title Original title Director(s) Result 2003(76th)Divine Intervention يد إلهية 2004(77th) The Olive Harvest موسم زيتون Hanna Elias 2005(78th) Paradise Now الجنّة الآن 2008(81st)Salt of this Sea ملح هذا البحر 2012(85th)When I Saw You لما شفتك 2013(86th)Omar عمر 2014(87th)Eyes of a Thief عيون الحراميه 2015(88th)The Wanted 18 المطلوبون 18 Paul Cowan and Amer Shomali 2016(89th)The Idol يا طير الطاير 2017(90th)Wajib واجب 2018(91st)Ghost Hunting إصطياد اشباح Raed Andoni 2019(92nd) It Must Be Heaven إن شئت كما في السماء 2020(93rd)Gaza mon amour غزة حبيبتي Tarzan and Arab Nasser 2021(94th)The Stranger الغريب Ameer Fakher Eldin 2022(95th)Mediterranean Fever حمى البحر المتوسط Maha Haj 2023(96th)Bye Bye Tiberias باي باي طبريا Lina Soualem 2024(97th)From Ground Zeroقصص غير محكية من غزة من المسافة صفرAws Al-Banna, Ahmed Al-Danf, Basil Al-Maqousi, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Muhammad Alshareef, Ala Ayob, Bashar Al Balbisi, Alaa Damo, Awad Hana, Ahmad Hassunah, Mustafa Kallab, Satoum Kareem, Mahdi Karera, Rabab Khamees, Khamees Masharawi, Wissam Moussa, Tamer Najm, Abu Hasna Nidaa, Damo Nidal, Mahmoud Reema, Etimad Weshah and Islam Al Zrieai 2025(98th) Palestine 36 فلسطين ٣٦ 2026(99th) Citizen Osama المواطن أسامة Ahmed Hassouna
See also List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films List of Israeli submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Notes
References
External links The Official Academy Awards Database The Motion Picture Credits Database IMDb Academy Awards Page