10 Must-Watch Submissions for the International Feature Oscar

October 06, 2025 • Read in 5 minutes

Dear Hyphenly Readers,

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Each year, countries submit feature-length films produced outside the U.S. with at least 50% non-English dialogue to compete for the International Feature Film category. The deadline is October 1.

This year brought 89 submissions, and Team Hyphenly has been deep in (multiple) movie marathons to catch up. From that list, we’ve chosen our 10 favorites. Some are heart-wrenching, others atmospheric, and all are worth adding to your Letterboxd queue. Speaking of Letterboxd, Hyphenly has joined this global community of film lovers! Follow us and give a shoutout to our curated list!

So, grab a snack, maybe keep a box of tissues nearby, and join us in celebrating some of the most powerful films from around the world.

The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo

Country: Chile
Language: Spanish
Synopsis: The film follows a 12-year-old Lidia as she navigates fear and prejudice when a mysterious illness threatens her queer family in a remote mining town in 1980's northern Chile.

We Shall Not Be Moved

Country: Mexico
Language: Spanish
Synopsis: In this satirical black comedy, a mature lawyer is obsessed with identifying the soldiers who killed her brother in 1968, during the Tlatelolco massacre. 

The Wolves Always Come At Night

Country: Australia
Language: Mongolian
Synopsis: A young couple living on a farm in rural Mongolia is forced to move to the city and adapt to an unconventional life after a storm ravages their village.

A House Named Shahana

Country: Bangladesh
Language: Bengali
Synopsis: Dipa is an independent Muslim woman who ultimately defies social and family pressures. Repressed by society and dominated by her controlling uncle and aunt, Dipa is married off to a Bengali widower who lives in the UK.

Homebound

Country: India
Language: Hindi
Synopsis: Two childhood friends from a small North Indian village chase a police job that promises them the dignity they've long been denied. However, as they inch closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the bond that holds them together. Fun fact: this is co-produced by Martin Scorsese.

Left-Handed Girl 

Country: Taiwan
Language: Mandarin
Synopsis: The Taipei-set drama follows a single mother and her two daughters who move from the countryside to open a food stall at a bustling night market and is co-edited by Sean Baker (director of Anora).

Dog Of God 

Country: Latvia
Languages: Latvian, German
Synopsis: This animated surrealist horror-comedy is set in the 17th-century Livonia and has roots in Latvian folklore.

Traffic

Country: Romania
Languages: Romanian, Dutch, English
Synopsis: The film follows a group of Romanian immigrants in Belgium, who go from unwanted second-class citizens to wanted criminals, as they decide to stage a heist that will change their lives forever.

2000 Metres To Andriivka

Country: Ukraine
Language: Ukrainian
Synopsis: A Ukrainian platoon attempts to liberate a strategic village from Russian forces. A journalist joins them, observing the impacts of war and growing doubts about its resolution. Produced by Associated Press and Frontline and distributed in the US by PBS, the film premiered at Sundance Film Festival early this year.

The President’s Cake 

Country: Iraq
Language: Arabic (Iraqi dialect)
Synopsis: 9-year-old Lamia must gather ingredients to bake a mandatory cake to celebrate the President's birthday, or face punishment.

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