Italy's 21-Film Oscar Shortlist: Moretti & Venice Winners — SkimNews
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- Italy's film body Anica unveiled a 21-film shortlist under consideration for the country's Best International Feature Film submission to the 99th Academy Awards, with a selection committee set to pick the final entry on September 23.
- All 21 candidates were theatrically released in Italy between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026.
- Three Venice 2026 Golden Lion contenders made the list: Nanni Moretti's "It Will Happen Tonight," Marco Bechis' "Back To Buenos Aires," and Paolo Strippoli's "The Spiral."
- "The House of the Monkey" by Tommaso Landucci won Best Actor for Riccardo Scamarcio and Best Screenplay for Damiano Femfert in Venice's Orizzonti sidebar, and is also shortlisted.
- The mix additionally includes Spanish director Isabel Coixet's Italian-language "Three Goodbyes" and Damiano Michieletto's "Primavera," which world premiered as a TIFF Special Presentation.
- Italy last won Best International Feature Film in 2014 with Paolo Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty" — over a decade ago.
Why it matters: With 21 films competing for a single submission slot and a September 23 decision deadline, Italy's Oscar race enters its final stretch. The shortlist is loaded with Venice 2026 prestige — three Golden Lion contenders plus an Orizzonti double-prize winner — and a Nanni Moretti title, making the committee's choice one of the more closely watched national picks this year given Italy's 12-year drought in the category.
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