'Red Rain' misses out on Oscar nominations in 2026.

The film 'Red Rain' was not shortlisted for the Best International Film category at the 2026 Oscars.

'Red Rain' takes its first steps in the Oscar race.

Red Rain will stop its run at the 2026 Oscars. Prior to that, the film grossed over 710 billion VND at the Vietnamese box office, attracting over 8.1 million viewers, becoming the highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time.

PHOTO: MOVIE POSTER

According to Variety , on December 16th (local time), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists for 12 categories of the 98th Academy Awards, taking place next year. Among them, the Best International Film category received much attention from Vietnamese audiences, as the film "Red Rain" participated in the preliminary round. Unfortunately, the film directed by Dang Thai Huyen was not included in the Academy's newly announced list, officially ending its run for the golden statuette.

The 15 films shortlisted in the Best International Film category are: Belén (Argentina), The Secret Agent (Brazil), It Was Just an Accident (France), Sound of Falling (Germany), Homebound (India), The President's Cake (Iraq), Kokuho (Japan), All That's Left of You (Jordan), Sentimental Value (Norway), Palestine 36 (Palestine), No Other Choice (South Korea), Sirât (Spain), Late Shift (Switzerland), Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan), and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).

The shortlist for Best International Film at the 2026 Oscars presents a geographically diverse picture, balancing established directors with emerging talents. Meanwhile, distributor Neon continues its dominance with five films in the top 15.

Park Chan Wook's No Other Choice is one of the standout entries in the Best International Film category.

PHOTO: CJ ENT

The Best International Film category at the 2026 Oscars has 86 eligible entries, including "Red Rain" from Vietnam. The fact that the highest-grossing film at the domestic box office was eliminated in the preliminary round of the 2026 Oscars is not surprising, as this race brings together many quality works from talented young filmmakers to big names in international cinema. Prior to this film, many Vietnamese films selected to compete in previous Oscar seasons, such as: "Peach, Pho and Piano" (2024), "Brilliant Ashes" (2023), "578: The Madman's Bullet" (2022), "The Godfather" (2021), "Blue Eyes" (2020)... all only made it to the preliminary round.

Regarding the selection of "Red Rain" for the preliminary round of the 2026 Oscars, Mr. Dang Tran Cuong, Director of the Cinema Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), shared with Thanh Nien newspaper : "Sending a film that has made a big impact on Vietnamese cinema to compete, our expectation is not necessarily whether the film will win an award or not, but more importantly, it will help us understand where Vietnamese cinema stands on the world film map, what gaps can be narrowed… From there, we can adjust the development strategy and direction for Vietnamese cinema, in an effort to integrate with the world film industry."

Sinners, Wicked: For Good tops the shortlist.

Wicked: For Good has been mentioned multiple times in the recently announced Oscar shortlists for 2026 in various categories.

PHOTO: UNIVERSAL

The shortlists for the categories just announced by the Academy include: short animated film, feature documentary, short documentary, international film, live-action short film, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, sound and visual effects. This year also marks the first time two new categories have appeared on the Oscar shortlist: Achievement in Casting and Best Cinematography.

Among the 12 categories for which the shortlist of nominees has just been announced, Sinners and Wicked: For Good are the two films that have been mentioned the most, with 8 nominations each.

It is understood that the final shortlist of nominees in each category will be determined in the coming weeks. The official nominations are expected to be announced on January 22nd. The 98th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 15th, hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mua-do-truot-de-cu-oscar-2026-185251217115055868.htm