Oscars 2026: Tunisia’s ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ bails Africa (FULL LIST of nominees)

With Nigeria missing out on the Best International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards, famously known as the Oscars, Tunisia has emerged as Africa’s sole standard-bearer as ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ secures a nomination, placing the continent firmly on the global cinematic map.

The Best International Feature Film, formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film, is awarded to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.

Nigeria’s no-submission decision

In August 2025, the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC), the sole body recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to select Nigeria’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film, opened submissions for Nigeria’s entry for the category.

A few weeks later, the committee, citing a lack of creative and technical intentionality, announced it would not submit a film for consideration at the 2026 Oscars.

The Committee, which the filmmaker Stephanie Linus chairs, received six submissions. However, during its deliberations on 26 September 2025, a majority voted in favour of “No Submission”.

With Nigeria withdrawing from the race, Tunisia’s ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ will represent Africa at the global awards.

The movie will be competing against other titles such as ‘The Secret Agent’ (Brazil), ‘It Was Just an Accident’ (France), ‘Sentimental Value’ (Norway), and ‘Sirāt’ (Spain).

If it wins, ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ will be the fourth Oscar winner from the continent, joining Algeria’s ‘Z’ (1969), Ivory Coast’s ‘Black and White in Colour’ (1976), and South Africa’s ‘Tsotsi’ (2005).

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’

A 2025 docudrama film about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab,’ is written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania.

It centres on the response of the humanitarian movement, the Red Crescent, to the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl, by the Israel Defence Forces during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.

On January 29, 2024, Red Crescent volunteers received an emergency call. A 6-year-old Hind Rajab is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue.

While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her.

The movie stars Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Amer Hlehel, and Clara Khoury and is a co-production between Tunisia and France.

Oscar 2026

On Thursday, the organisers of the 98th Academy Awards announced the first set of nominations for the 2026 Oscars.

Actors Lewis Pullman and Danielle Brooks unveiled the list.

The ceremony will be held on March 15, 2026, with Conan O’Brien returning as host.

Complete list of categories and nominees:

Best Picture

Bugonia

F1: The Movie

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Delroy Lindo, Sinners

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Best Director

Chloé Zhao, Hamnet

Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Original Screenplay

Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon

Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident

Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Adapted Screenplay

Will Tracy, Bugonia

Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein

Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams

Animated Feature

Arco

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

Documentary Feature

The Alabama Solution

Come See Me in the Good Light

Cutting Through Rocks

Mr Nobody Against Putin

The Perfect Neighbour

International Feature

The Secret Agent, Brazil

It Was Just an Accident, France

Sentimental Value, Norway

Sirāt, Spain

The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia

Editing

Stephen Mirrione, F1: The Movie

Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another

Olivier Bugge Coutté, Sentimental Value

Michael P. Shawver, Sinners

Cinematography

Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein

Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme

Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another

Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners

Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Original Score

Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia

Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein

Max Richter, Hamnet

Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another

Ludwig Goransson, Sinners

Casting

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sinners

Production Design

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Costume Design

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

Sinners

Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1: The Movie

Jurassic World Rebirth

The Lost Bus

Sinners

Sound

F1: The Movie

Frankenstein

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Sirât

Makeup and Hairstyling

Frankenstein

Kokuho

Sinners

The Smashing Machine

The Ugly Stepsister

Original Song

‘Dear Me’ from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

‘Golden’ from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon, and Teddy Park

‘I Lied to You’ from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson

‘Sweet Dreams of Joy’ from Viva Verdi!; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike

‘Train Dreams’ from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave

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Live-Action Short

Butcher’s Stain

A Friend of Dorothy

Jane Austen’s Period Drama

The Singers

Two People Exchanging Saliva

Documentary Short

All the Empty Rooms

Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”

The Devil Is Busy

Perfectly A Strangeness

Animated Short

Butterfly

Forevergreen

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Retirement Plan

The Three Sisters