Arab films from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tunisia, Sweden, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco and Iraq have been entered into the Best International Feature Film category at next year’s Academy Awards.
The category, introduced in 1947 as Best Foreign Language Film, was renamed in 2020. The first Oscar in the category was awarded to Italy’s Shoeshine by Vittorio De Sica, while this year’s winner was Brazil’s I’m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles.
Here are the Arabic-language films hoping to reach the final shortlist for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Hijra
Saudi Arabia's entry is Shahad Ameen's Hijra. The coming-of-age tale is a spiritual journey that spans the kingdom. The film had its premiere in the Venezia Spotlight section of this year’s Venice Film Festival. Its story begins in 2001 in Taif, as a young girl, Sarah, her sister Janna and their grandmother Sitti take a bus to Makkah to perform Hajj.
Hijra is a co-production between Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and the UK and was shot by Chilean cinematographer Miguel Ioan Littin-Menz. The film stars Lamar Faden, Raghad Bokhari and Khairiah Nathmy.
A Sad and Beautiful World
Lebanon has chosen this Cyril Aris film as its submission. Aris’s first narrative feature follows childhood sweethearts Nino and Yasmina, who reconnect in their twenties as Lebanon faces economic and political turmoil.
The drama had its premiere last month in the Giornate degli Autori competition at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Co-written with Bane Fakih, the project was a multinational production involving Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the US and Germany.
Aris is best known for his documentaries The Swing and Iraqi Odyssey. The film stars Hasan Akil and Mounia Akl, with supporting roles from Nada Abou Farhat and Rodrigue Sleiman.
All That’s Left of You
Jordan has submitted All That’s Left of You, directed by Cherien Dabis. The film follows a Palestinian family from the loss of their orchards in 1948 through decades of displacement.
It had its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival before being confirmed by the Royal Film Commission as Jordan’s official entry – the country’s ninth in this category.
The cast includes Saleh Bakri, Adam Bakri, Mohammad Bakri and Dabis herself. Production was relocated to Cyprus, Greece and Jordan after filming in Palestine became impossible due to conflict.
Dabis, who has directed episodes of Ozark and Only Murders in the Building, as well as the Arab-American comedy Ramy, made her feature debut with Amreeka (2009), about a Palestinian immigrant mother and her son living in Illinois.
Eagles of the Republic
Sweden’s entry is Eagles of the Republic, directed by Tarik Saleh. The Arabic-language thriller is the third instalment of Saleh's Cairo trilogy, after The Nile Hilton Incident and Boy from Heaven.
The film stars Fares Fares as an actor pressured into appearing in a propaganda film for the Egyptian government. It had its premiere in competition at Cannes in May 2025 and later screened in Toronto.
Raised in Stockholm by a Swedish mother and an Egyptian father, Saleh told The National in 2022 that his films are less about politics and more about examining authority.
“I’m interested in a more universal theme, which is authority,” he said. “Of course it’s political to investigate how authority works and how power is executed and how you become powerful.”
Saleh described Sweden’s choice as significant, noting on Instagram that it was the first time the country had put forward a film made entirely in Arabic.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Tunisia has put forth The Voice of Hind Rajab, by Kaouther Ben Hania, a drama is based on the real story of a five-year-old girl killed in Gaza by Israeli military forces.
The film had its premiere in competition at Venice Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize – second best film overall. It counts Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara among its executive producers, alongside Oscar-winning directors Jonathan Glazer and Alfonso Cuaron.
Written and directed by Ben Hania, the film incorporates real audio recordings as its central narrative device. Shot in a single location, it focuses on silence, fear and the growing tension of a child left without rescue.
Palestine 36
Palestine's submission is Palestine 36, directed by Annemarie Jacir. Set in 1936, when the territory was under British mandate, the film follows Yusuf, a young man torn between his rural home and the rising unrest in Jerusalem.
As Jewish immigrants arrive fleeing fascist Europe and calls for Palestinian independence grow louder, tensions erupt into the Palestinian revolt of 1936–39.
The cast includes Jeremy Irons, Hiam Abbass, Saleh Bakri and Liam Cunningham. The film had its premiere in the Gala Presentations section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Palestine’s Ministry of Culture confirmed the submission in August.
Jacir, one of Palestine’s most acclaimed filmmakers, previously directed the award-winning When I Saw You (2012) and the 2017 comedy Wajib. Palestine 36 is her largest production to date, featuring a regional and international ensemble cast.
Happy Birthday
Egypt has selected Happy Birthday by Sarah Goher as its official submission. The film, Goher’s directorial debut, tells the story of Toha, an eight-year-old maid who tries to organise a birthday party for a friend from the wealthy family she works for, despite never having celebrated her own.
The drama had its world premiere in the International Narrative Competition at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won three major prizes: Best International Feature, Best Screenplay and the Nora Ephron Award for Outstanding Female Director. The film was co-written with Mohamed Diab, known for Moon Knight and Clash, and is backed by actor Jamie Foxx who serves as executive producer.
Calle Malaga
Morocco’s entry is Calle Malaga, directed by Maryam Touzani. The Spanish-language drama follows Maria Angeles, an elderly Spanish woman in Tangier who is determined to hold on to her family home, even as her daughter pushes to sell it. The film stars veteran Spanish actress Carmen Maura in the lead role.
Calle Malaga had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Spotlight section’s Audience Award. It later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentations programme. Touzani, whose earlier works Adam and The Blue Caftan were Morocco’s previous submissions, makes her first foray into Spanish-language cinema with this project.
The President’s Cake
Iraq has put forward The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi. The film is set in Baghdad during the Saddam Hussein era and centres on nine-year-old Lamia, who must find ingredients to bake a birthday cake for the president. Failure to deliver the cake would have dire consequences for her family, turning the seemingly simple task into a matter of survival.
The film had its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight section, where it won both the Audience Award and the Camera d’Or for Best Debut Feature. The recognition marked the first time an Iraqi filmmaker had received the top honour for a debut at Cannes.
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MATCH INFO
Burnley 1 (Brady 89')
Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
