Argentina’s “Belén” and Brazil’s “Secret Agent” made the shortlist for Best International Feature film.
Amazon MGM Studios, CinemaScópio-MK Productions
Argentina, Brazil and Spain advanced to the next round of voting for the 98th Academy Awards international feature film category, while putting an end to the Oscar journey for eleven Latin American hopefuls that entered the race.
The Academy announced shortlists across 12 categories, narrowing the field from 86 eligible countries to just 15 films.
Brazil’s The Secret Agent, which swept Cannes 2025 with four major prizes, made the cut alongside acclaimed films Argentina’s Belén and Spain’s Sirât.
The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, follows a former professor fleeing persecution during Brazil’s 1977 military dictatorship. The film earned Best Director, Best Actor, the FIPRESCI Prize and the Art House Cinema Award at Cannes.
The Brazilian film also made its way to the Casting category shortlist.
Argentina’s Belén, directed by and starring Dolores Fonzi, tells the true story of lawyer Soledad Deza’s fight to free Julieta (Camila Plaate), a young, impoverished woman wrongly imprisoned for an illegal abortion. Based on Ana Correa’s non-fiction book Somos Belén, the legal drama depicts a controversial case that sparked a nationwide movement for reproductive rights in Argentina. The film won the RTVE-Otra Mirada Award for Fonzi and the Silver Seashell for Best Supporting Performance for Plaate at the 2025 San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Spain’s Sirât, directed by Óliver Laxe, follows a father and son traveling through the Moroccan desert searching for his missing daughter, moving from illegal rave to rave as the threat of a war looms. The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2025.
Sirât also made the shortlist in three other categories: Cinematography, Music (Original Score) and Casting.
Argentina, Brazil and Spain will face off against entries from the following countries:
France, It Was Just an Accident
Germany, Sound of Falling
India, Homebound
Iraq, The President’s Cake
Japan, Kokuho
Jordan, All That’s Left of You
Norway, Sentimental Value
Palestine, Palestine 36
South Korea, No Other Choice
Switzerland, Late Shift
Taiwan, Left-Handed Girl
Tunisia, The Voice of Hind Rajab
Academy members from all branches can vote in the nominations round, which begins January 12 and ends January 16.
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein dominates shortlists
Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro, appeared across multiple categories, including Casting, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Sound and Visual Effects.
The film’s strong showing positions it as a major contender heading into nominations.
The Academy will announce the five international feature film nominees on January 22, 2026.
The 98th Oscars ceremony takes place March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre.