The feature film Cause of Death Unknown has been named as Iran's official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards.
According to the Iranian Cinema Museum News Agency, the selection committee unanimously deemed director Ali Zarnagar’s work worthy of competing on the global stage and named it Iran’s official Oscar submission for 2026.
The nine-member committee included: actress Pantea Panahiha, documentary filmmaker Azadeh Mousavi, director Abolhassan Davoudi, screenwriter Farhad Tohidi, cinematographer Hooman Behmanesh, sound designer and Academy member Mohammadreza Delpak, director Mostafa Kiaei, actor Ali Dehkordi, and Mohammadreza Tashakori (committee secretary, international affairs deputy, and global distributor).