List of Pakistani submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Best International Feature Film submissions from Pakistan
Highlights
Debut1959
Submissions13
Nominationsnone
Oscar winnersnone

Pakistan has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1959. The award is presented annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length film produced outside the United States and its territories with a predominantly non-English dialogue track. Eligible submissions may be live-action, animated, or documentary features.[nb 1][2] The category became an annual competitive award in 1956; before then, the Academy had presented special awards for foreign-language films.[3]

Pakistan's first submission was The Day Shall Dawn for the 32nd Academy Awards (1959), followed by Ghunghat for the 36th Academy Awards (1963). After Ghunghat, Pakistan did not submit another film for fifty years, until the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee selected Zinda Bhaag for the 86th Academy Awards (2013).[4]

As of the 98th Academy Awards (2025), Pakistan has submitted thirteen films for consideration. None has been nominated, although Joyland became the first Pakistani submission to be shortlisted in the category when it advanced to the 15-film shortlist for the 95th Academy Awards (2022).[5][6] Pakistan invited submissions for the 98th Academy Awards, but no Pakistani film appeared on the Academy's final list of eligible international feature films for that ceremony.[7][8]

Submissions

Under the Academy's current rules, each country or region may submit one film for International Feature Film consideration through an Academy-approved selection committee. Eligible films must be feature-length works produced outside the United States and its territories, with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and accurate, legible English-language subtitles.[9] Nominations are determined in two rounds: a preliminary vote selects a 15-film shortlist, and a nominations vote selects the five nominees.[9]

Pakistan's earliest submissions were The Day Shall Dawn, submitted for the 32nd Academy Awards (1959), and Ghunghat, submitted for the 36th Academy Awards (1963).[10][11] The Day Shall Dawn, directed by A. J. Kardar, was made in what was then East Pakistan and follows the daily struggles of Bengali fisherfolk; it later gained renewed attention after its restoration and selection for the Cannes Classics programme.[12] The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee resumed the country's submissions in 2013 with Zinda Bhaag.[4]

Joyland, submitted for the 95th Academy Awards (2022), became the first Pakistani submission to advance to the Academy's 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature Film, but it was not nominated.[5] In July 2023, Pakistani filmmaker Mohammed Ali Naqvi was appointed chairman of the Pakistan Academy Selection Committee, succeeding Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.[13]

The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee opened submissions for the 98th Academy Awards in 2025, but Pakistan did not appear on the Academy's final list of eligible international feature films for that ceremony.[7][2][8]

The following films have been submitted by Pakistan for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Films submitted by Pakistan for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Year
(Ceremony)		 Film title used in submission Original title Language Director Result
1959
(32nd)		 The Day Shall Dawn[10] جاگو ہوا سویرا Urdu A. J. Kardar Not nominated
1963
(36th)		 Ghunghat[11] گھونگٹ Urdu Khwaja Khurshid Anwar Not nominated
2013
(86th)		 Zinda Bhaag[4] زندہ بھاگ Punjabi Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi Not nominated
2014
(87th)		 Dukhtar[14] دختر Urdu, Pashto Afia Nathaniel Not nominated
2015
(88th)		 Moor[15] ماں Urdu, Pashto Jami Not nominated
2016
(89th)		 Mah e Mir[16] ماہ میر Urdu Anjum Shahzad Not nominated
2017
(90th)		 Saawan[17] ساون Urdu Farhan Alam Not nominated
2018
(91st)		 Cake[18] کیک Urdu Asim Abbasi Not nominated
2019
(92nd)		 Laal Kabootar[19] لال کبوتر Urdu Kamal Khan Not nominated
2020
(93rd)		 Circus of Life[20] زندگی تماشا Urdu, Punjabi Sarmad Khoosat Not nominated
2022
(95th)		 Joyland[21] جوائے لینڈ Urdu, Punjabi Saim Sadiq Made shortlist[5]
2023
(96th)		 In Flames[22] شعلوں میں Urdu Zarrar Kahn Not nominated
2024
(97th)		 The Glassworker[23] شیشہ گر Urdu, English Usman Riaz Not nominated

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The category was known as the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film until April 2019, when the Academy renamed it Best International Feature Film, stating that the word "Foreign" was outdated and that the new title better represented the category.[1]

References

  1. ↑ "Academy announces rules for 92nd Oscars". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Animated, documentary and international feature films eligible for 98th Oscars announced". Academy Press Office. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  3. ↑ "History of the Oscars presentation" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "'Zinda Bhaag' submitted for Oscar consideration". Dawn. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "95th Oscars shortlists in 10 award categories announced". Academy Press Office. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "Another 'first' for Joyland as it enters Oscars fray". Dawn. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Pakistani Academy Selection Committee calls on filmmakers to submit entries for Oscar consideration". Images. Dawn. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  8. 1 2 "98th Academy Awards: eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Rule Sixteen: Special Rules for the International Feature Film Award" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  10. 1 2 Raj, Ali (1 May 2016). "Pakistan's first Oscar submission 'Jago Hua Savera' goes to Cannes". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  11. 1 2 "50 years on, Pakistan part of the Oscars once more". Dawn.com. Dawn. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Ahmad, Ali Nobil (13 June 2016). "Day Shall Dawn: rare chance to see Pakistan's lost avant-garde classic". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Acclaimed filmmaker Mohammed Ali Naqvi appointed PASC chief". Geo News. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "Dukhtar selected for Oscar consideration by Pakistan Committee". Dawn.com. Dawn. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Bhushan, Nyay (14 September 2015). "Oscars: Pakistan Selects 'Moor' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Frater, Patrick (22 September 2016). "Pakistan Sends 'Mah E Mir' to the Oscars". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Frater, Patrick (17 September 2017). "Desert Drama 'Saawan' Selected by Pakistan for Oscar Contention". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "'Cake' representing Pakistan at the Oscars is an honour: Asim Abbasi". The Express Tribune. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Laal Kabootar is Pakistan's entry for the Oscars". Images. Dawn. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (22 January 2021). "Pakistan's Sarmad Khoosat Defies Death Threats to Send 'Circus of Life' for Oscar Consideration". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "'Joyland' is Pakistan's entry for Oscars 2023". The Express Tribune. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "'In Flames' is Pakistan's official entry for Oscars 2024". The Express Tribune. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "International Oscar Race: Pakistan Selects Hand-Drawn Animation 'The Glassworker'". Variety. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
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