The Farabi Cinema Foundation has announced the shortlist of five fiction films being considered to represent Iran at the 2026 Academy Awards. The selection follows the first meeting of the Oscar committee on September 5, where 84 eligible titles were reviewed. After an initial round of evaluations and re-screenings, five films were chosen as the finalists.
The shortlisted films, in alphabetical order, are:
- The Old Bachelor, directed by Oktay Baraheni
- Raha, directed by Hesam Farahmand
- Woman and Child, directed by Saeed Roustayi
- Call Me Ziba, directed by Rasoul Sadr Ameli
- Cause of Death: Unknown, directed by Ali Zarnegar