List of Pakistani submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
List of Pakistani submissions for an Academy Award
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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]
| Best International Feature Film submissions from Pakistan | |
|---|---|
| |
| Highlights | |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Submissions | 13 |
| Nominations | none |
| Oscar winners | none |
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.
| 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 |