Rwanda Forms First-Ever Oscars Selection Committee

Rwanda has officially named its first Oscars Selection Committee, signalling the country’s intent to participate in the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

Appointed by the Ministry of Youth and Arts, the 15-member committee includes professionals from across Rwanda’s film and creative sectors who will evaluate and submit a film to represent the country at the Oscars. Leading the Rwanda Oscars Selection Committee (ROSC) is Marie France Niragire, chair of the Rwanda Arts Council, which represents Rwandan creatives.

“This marks a pivotal opportunity for Rwanda’s creative economy,” said Hon. Sandrine Umutoni, Minister of State for Youth and Arts. “The establishment of the Rwanda’s Oscars Selection Committee aligns with our strategy to elevate our cinematic voice globally.”

Despite challenges in funding and infrastructure, Rwanda’s cinema has continued to gain momentum on the global stage, with notable screenings including for Grey Matter at Tribeca Film Festival (2011); The Mercy of the Jungle at FESPACO (2019) where it won the Golden Stallion; Neptune Frost at Cannes Film Festival (2021), TIFF (2021) and Sundance (2022); The Bride at Berlinale (2023); and Minimals in a Titanic World at Berlinale (2025).

This August, The Bride was one of 13 African films screening at the inaugural Locarno’s Africa-focused Open Doors cycle. At the same event, Rwandan filmmaker Yannick Mizero Kabano (Imitana Productions) was among six African producers in the Open Doors Producers programme, winning both the Tabakalera–San Sebastian Film Festival Residency Award and the Open Doors–OIF–ACP–EU Award.

If Rwanda enters the 2026 Oscars race, it will join the 25 African countries that have submitted films for Best International Feature since the category’s inception in 1956, then known as Best Foreign Language Film until 2019. Out of the 25, only 10 have received nominations and just three have won the award in its 69 years of existence: Algeria’s Z (1969), Ivory Coast’s Black and White in Color (1976) and South Africa’s Tsotsi (2005).

With no win in the last 20 years since Tsotsi and no nomination in the four years since Tunisia’s The Man Who Sold His Skin, Africa’s participation in the Oscars continues to be a subject of debate. As Tambay Obenson of Akoroko (Sinema Focus’ partner at African Film Press) notes, Africa faces an uneven playing field hampered by limited resources to successfully mount an effective Oscar campaign, even for acclaimed titles, as well cultural and language barriers that can prevent Academy voters from fully grasping the nuance of African narratives.

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