Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab Becomes the Only African Film Advancing in the 2026 Oscar Race

One African nation makes the cut. As the Oscars narrow their International Feature Film race, Tunisia stands alone on the global shortlist. Here’s why The Voice of Hind Rajab matters, and what this moment signals for African cinema on the world’s biggest awards stage.

The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia), Tunisia’s Official Entry for the 98th Academy Awards® for Best International Feature Film, The only African film in the running for the Oscar Nominations - January 2026

The Academy has unveiled the 15 films advancing to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category ahead of the upcoming Oscars. The shortlist spans five continents, spotlighting a wide range of national cinemas—from Argentina and Brazil to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Jim Wilson | Courtesy of Peter Searly

Notably, Tunisia stands as the only African country represented on this year’s shortlist, with The Voice of Hind Rajab carrying the continent’s flag into the final stretch of awards season. Produced by Academy Award nominee James Wilson (Class of 1991) and directed by two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the film is set to debut in U.S. theaters on December 17, opening at New York’s Film Forum and Los Angeles’ Laemmle Theatres before expanding nationwide.

The full shortlist includes entries from Argentina (Belén), Brazil (The Secret Agent), 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), Spain (Sirât), Switzerland (Late Shift), and Taiwan (Left-Handed Girl).

The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia), the only African film in the running for the Oscar Nominations- January 2026 | Courtesy: Twitter

With Oscar nominations set to be announced on Thursday, January 22, all eyes now turn to whether Tunisia’s submission will break into the final five, continuing a slow but important presence of African cinema on the global awards stage.

Africa at the Oscars: A Rare Path to the Final Five

African films have historically faced steep odds in the International Feature Film category. Since the category’s creation in 1956, only a handful of African nations have broken through to nominations, and even fewer wins.

Notable milestones include:

• Algeria’s Z (1969) — the first African film to win the category

• South Africa’s Tsotsi (2005) — the continent’s most recent win

• Occasional nominations from countries such as Algeria, South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia

Despite Africa’s vast filmmaking output and cultural influence, submissions from the continent remain underrepresented on Oscar shortlists: often due to limited distribution, campaign funding, and visibility within Academy voting circles.

Tunisia’s advancement with The Voice of Hind Rajab continues a slow but significant tradition: African films pushing through a global system that has rarely centered their stories.

Black Film Wire will be tracking the nominations and their wider implications for global and African filmmaking.