Czech Republic Picks 'If Pigeons Turned to Gold' for Oscar Race
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- Czech Republic selected Pepa Ljubojacki's documentary If Pigeons Turned to Gold as its entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, the country's earliest-planted flag in the race this year
- The film was shot over five years and follows Ljubojacki's brother and two cousins whose addictions are slowly destroying their relationships and homes, debuting at this year's Berlinale
- The Czech Film and Television Academy made the selection, praising Ljubojacki's use of DIY aesthetics, diary shots, stylized memories, live photos, and graphic collages to understand "the reasons for their fall" without sentiment
- The Academy's shortlist will be announced December 15, with full nominations following on January 21, 2027
- This submission cycle marks the first under new rules allowing non-English-language films to qualify for the International Oscar race if they win the top award at Berlin, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, or Venice
- Last year's International Oscar winner was Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, submitted by Norway
Why it matters: Ljubojacki's Berlinale-launched documentary enters the race under freshly rewritten Oscar rules that for the first time grant automatic eligibility to top-prize winners at five major festivals — potentially reshaping how countries choose between festival-circuit plays and traditional submissions. For the Czech Film and Television Academy, picking a five-year DIY portrait of family addiction is a deliberate aesthetic bet rather than a safe crowd-pleaser.
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