Submissions for India’s official Oscar entry to open on August 15

The Film Federation of India (FFI) has announced that filmmakers can submit their movies for India's entry to the Oscars this year from August 15 to September 10. Only films that have had a theatrical run of at least one week and explore the theme of ‘Indianness’ are eligible for submission.

"This is an important year for the Film Federation of India, this is the 75th year. It was formed in 1951 and this is the 98th Oscar year, and we've been doing the procedure of Oscar since 1957," FFI president Firdausul Hasan said. "We've been authorised by the academy to select one film from India that will represent our country in Oscar. So, the first film that we sent was 'Mother India', and the last film in 2024 was 'Laapataa Ladies'," he told reporters here.

The final entry from India will be decided by a vote after all the screenings are done and will be announced on September 28. "Mostly, films should've Indianness in it, and it should be a film which is idea-driven and not content-driven. Earlier, star-driven films were made, we would see who features in the film, and then decide whether we want to watch it or not," Hasan said.

"The FFI will provide all the help to the producers to have a smooth, democratic and transparent nomination process. We welcome more and more films to participate in the run to get nominated as India's entry into Oscars this year," Hasan said. The FFI, which is the parent body of the all the leading film associations of India, will nominate the chairman of the jury along with senior qualified people from various creative fields - from acting to directing, producing to costume, music, playback singer, sound recordist, and editing, to form a 25-member jury, according to the protocol of the Oscar Academy.

"It should be an Indian origin film and about 90 per cent film should be shot in India, and the film should've Indianness. We've tried to cover every field while appointing the (jury) person. The person should be well-known, should have good experience, and must be a National award-winner," Hasan said. As per officials, 60 per cent of the dialect in the film should be of local dialect.

In addition to this, details of film festival entries or awards received for the film, and payment of Rs 1,25,000 plus GST will be charged during the submission procedure.

Films that remain unreleased as of September 10—the final date for submission—must provide an undertaking along with a confirmation from their production and distribution companies, stating that the films will be released in theatres for a minimum of seven days before the September 30 deadline, the Film Federation of India (FFI) said in a press statement.

Addressing the issue of government support for the Oscar campaign, FFI head Hasan noted that they have frequently sought financial assistance.
"We often appeal to the government for support. We had a meeting with the NFDC a few months ago, and they are planning to send two or three films to the Oscars this year. They're actively working on it," he said.

Last year, Kiran Rao's 'Laapataa Ladies' was chosen to represent India at the 97th Academy Awards but failed to make it to the shortlist. The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 15, 2026 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.