Oscar 2026: "Red Rain" will not be included in the next round of nominations.

On December 16th (US time), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the shortlists in 12 categories for this year's Oscar season.

In the Best International Film category, distributor Neon showed its dominance with 5 representatives out of the 15 shortlisted films: It Was Just an Accident (France), Sentimental Value (Norway), No Other Choice (South Korea), Sirât (Spain), and The Secret Agent (Brazil).

"Red Rain" failed to make the shortlist for the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Producer).

Earlier, at the end of November, AMPAS announced the official list of films eligible to compete in the Best Animated Film, Best Documentary, and Best International Film categories. Accordingly, "Red Rain" from Vietnam had to compete with 85 other works for one of the 15 spots in the shortlist.

However, in the next round of selections, the Vietnamese film was unable to overcome its competitors and was eliminated. Notably, no representatives from Southeast Asia appeared on this list.

Last September, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to submit director Dang Thai Huyen's film "Red Rain" to the preliminary round for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.

According to the head of the Vietnam Film Department, the inclusion of a Vietnamese film in the Oscar race is a significant opportunity to promote Vietnamese cinema to the world , while also affirming the industry's progress in the integration process.

Before its international release, " Red Rain " created a sensation at the Vietnamese box office, grossing over 700 billion VND and becoming the highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time. The selection of "Red Rain" as Vietnam's representative for the Oscars also received widespread approval from filmmakers and critics.

Over the past three decades, Vietnam has submitted numerous entries to the Oscars in the International Feature Film category, including: The Scent of Green Papaya, The Silk Dress of Ha Dong, I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass, and Hai Phuong…

According to Variety, members from various branches of AMPAS participated in the preliminary voting round for categories such as: short animated films, feature and short documentaries, international films, live-action short films, makeup and hairstyling, original soundtracks, original songs, sound and visual effects.

This year's awards also marks the first time the Oscars have introduced two new categories: Best Casting and Best Cinematography.

In other categories of the 2026 Oscar season, Ryan Coogler's film Sinners emerged as a notable contender, appearing in seven categories: Casting, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Visual Effects, and Original Song. Wicked: For Good and Frankenstein (Netflix) also made their mark with a significant number of nominations on the shortlist.

In addition, female directors made a significant impact in this year's selections, with 7 out of 15 international films and 10 out of 15 feature-length documentaries on the shortlist being made by female filmmakers.

According to the plan, the Oscar voting process will take place from January 12th to 16th, 2026. The official list of nominations is expected to be announced on January 22nd, 2026.

Comment (0)