Oscars is set to expand contenders for the international film category, with Bill Kramer revealing they have plans set to broaden film festival pathways. For decades, the path to an Academy Award nomination for international filmmakers has followed a strict, tightly guarded formula - one defined by bureaucratic national committees, rigid borders, and a tiny circle of elite gatekeepers. 

Navigating the traditional route meant playing by rules established generations ago, often leaving vital global voices fighting for a seat at a table that was slow to evolve. But as the cinematic landscape shifts toward a truly interconnected world, pressure has mounted on the film industry's highest institution to lower the barriers. 

Now, leadership has finally signaled a major operational shift, confirming that the Academy is officially expanding the list of film festivals that can serve as direct qualifiers for the International Feature category.

During a high-profile appearance at the Tokyo Film Festival, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) chief executive Bill Kramer dropped major news regarding the Oscars' eligibility pipeline. He is slated to accept an honorary leadership award alongside colleagues Lynette Howell Taylor and Meredith Shea for the Academy's Tokyo engagement series. In a sit-down with Deadline in Tokyo, Kramer announced that the governing body intends to grow its roster of qualifying cinematic showcases for the Best International Feature Film race.

“Our plan is to expand the number of festivals,” Kramer told the outlet.

Right now, rules put in place back in May mean that whatever movie takes home the top prize at six major film festivals - Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, and Venice - gets an automatic fast-track into the Oscar race, right alongside the usual official picks sent in by different countries. According to Kramer, keeping that initial list down to just six events was a deliberate safety measure to guarantee that the evaluation process remained entirely unbiased and independent.

He noted to Deadline that this evolving framework builds upon the Academy's ongoing mission to amplify diverse global voices and bring a wider spectrum of international talent into the Oscar race. This follows earlier inclusive updates from the organization, such as special provisions allowing displaced or refugee filmmakers to enter their work through the selection boards of their host nations.

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Talking about the foreign films that have generated the strongest Oscar buzz so far, there are quite a few of them.

The year is far from over, and there are already enough candidates from all over the world for the coveted best foreign film category in the Oscars. Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's Spanish historical drama La Bola Negra, which won the People's Choice Award at TIFF and Best Director at Cannes, has the best chance of winning an Oscar in 2027, according to several critics and reviewers. 

However, there is also the legal thriller family drama Fjord, directed by Cristian Mungiu, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and was praised for its nuanced moral ambiguity and masterful screenplay. There are also other contenders like France’s Minotaur, Denmark’s Woman Unknown, South Korea’s Possible Love, and Japan’s All of a Sudden. With the Academy expanding its eligibility criteria, the possibilities can only become endless from here on out. 

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Do you think this change will help bring more regional voices to the global platform? Do let us know.