Oscars: Canada Picks ‘Nina Roza’ as Best International Feature Selection

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Canada has chosen the transatlantic drama Nina Roza as its contender in the best international feature film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

The Canada-Belgium-Bulgaria-Italy co-production is written and directed by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles and world premiered in Berlin, where it earned the director the Silver Bear for best screenplay. Nina Roza centers on an art expert, Mihail, who fled Bulgaria 30 years earlier and returns to authenticate the work of Nina, an 8-year-old Bulgarian artist and possible child prodigy.

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As he studies her paintings after they went viral online, Mihail is forced to confront the ghosts of his past. “I am both delighted and humbled by this honor, which is shared by the entire film family, beginning with those in Quebec and Canada, as well as in Bulgaria, Italy and Belgium,” said director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles in a statement on Tuesday.

The film is produced by Colonelle Films, Dulude-de Celles’s production banner, as a co-production with UMI Films, Ginger Light, PREMIERstudio and Echo Bravo. Nina Roza stars Galin Stoev, Sofia Stanina, Ekaterina Stanina, Michelle Tzontchev, Christian Bégin and Chiara Caselli.

The movie is produced by Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew, Lorenzo Fiuzzi, Bardo Tarantelli, Lubomira Piperova, Nikolay Mutafchiev, Benoît Hansez and Etienne Hansez. After its Berlin premiere, Nina Roza has had a run on the international festival circuit. She will be presented at the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur and AFI Fest.

Nina Roza had its Quebec theatrical release starting in April 2026. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the 15 films on the best international feature film shortlist on Dec. 15. The five nominees will be announced Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.

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