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How Often Have African Films Won the Six Festival Prizes Now Tied to the Oscars?

An audit of African wins across the six festival prizes now linked to the Oscars' International Feature Film category: the Palme d'Or, Golden Bear, Golden Lion, Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Toronto Platform Award, and Busan Best Film Award.

Tambay A. Obenson·May 2, 2026·6 min read
How Often Have African Films Won the Six Festival Prizes Now Tied to the Oscars?

On May 1, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the rules for the 99th Oscars. As captured in the related Akoroko report, the largest changes are to the International Feature Film category — historically the only realistic route into the Oscars for African films.

Until now, only one path existed: a country's national selection committee submitted one film per year to the Academy, and any film not picked by its country was ineligible.

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