The race to the 2026 Oscars for Italian cinema begins. Twenty-four films are competing to represent Italy in the International Feature Film Award category. Eligible films are those whose first theatrical release in Italy or another country—excluding the U.S. and its territories—took place (or is scheduled) between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. The last Italian film nominated for Best International Feature Film was Maura Delpero's 'Vermiglio', which beat Sorrentino's 'Parthenope'. Since 'La Grazia' will only be released in January 2026, its director is out of the running for these Academy Awards. Which title will ultimately be chosen among the 24 will be known on September 23; the Academy will announce its shortlists on December 16, 2025, while nominations will be revealed on January 22, 2026. Competing for what was once known as Best Foreign Language Film—and which Italy has won 14 times—are the following titles: 'Berlinguer, la grande ambizione' by Andrea Segre; 'Diamanti' by Ferzan Özpetek; 'Diva Futura' by Giulia Louise Steigerwalt; 'Duse' by Pietro Marcello; 'Elisa' by Leonardo Di Costanzo; 'Eterno visionario' by Michele Placido; 'Familia' by Francesco Costabile; 'Follemente' by Paolo Genovese; 'Fuori' by Mario Martone; Hey Joe by Claudio Giovannesi; Il monaco che vinse l’apocalisse by Jordan River; 'Il Nibbio' by Alessandro Tonda; 'Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa' by Margherita Ferri; 'Il treno dei bambini' by Cristina Comencini; 'L’amore che ho' by Paolo Licata; 'L’orto americano' by Pupi Avati; 'La vita da grandi' by Greta Scarano; 'Le assaggiatrici' by Silvio Soldini; 'Le città di pianura' by Francesco Sossai; 'Le déluge – gli ultimi giorni di Maria Antonietta' by Gianluca Jodice; 'Napoli – New York' by Gabriele Salvatores; 'Sotto le nuvole' by Gianfranco Rosi; 'Vittoria' by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman.