Switzerland Picks Gaza Refugee Documentary 'Who is Still Alive' for 2027 Oscar Submission
Switzerland has selected Nicolas Wadimoff's documentary Who is Still Alive as its official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards. The film follows nine Palestinian refugees who escaped the violence in Gaza, recreating their flight on a barren stage marked out with chalk outlines — a staging approach reminiscent of Lars von Trier's Dogville (The Hollywood Reporter).
Swiss Films, the country's national film promotion agency, announced the selection on 13 August 2026. The film was produced by Wadimoff's Geneva-based Akka Films in co-production with France's Easy Rider Films, the Palestinian-Jordanian company Philistine Films, London's Cocoon Films, and Swiss public broadcaster RTS Radio Télévision Suisse (The Hollywood Reporter).
Who is Still Alive has already travelled the festival circuit with some momentum. It premiered in the Venice Days section — the Giornate degli Autori sidebar — of the Venice Film Festival, where it picked up two awards (Swiss Films). It also screened at the 2026 DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver on 5 May, with support from the Consulate of Switzerland in Vancouver (Swiss Consulate Vancouver).
On the distribution side, Watermelon Pictures has acquired the film for U.S. release, with a domestic rollout — covering the United States and Canada — planned for later this year. First Hand Films is handling international sales (The Hollywood Reporter).
Watermelon Pictures arrives at this release with a track record in the category. The distributor handled two international features that made last year's Oscar shortlist: Annemarie Jacir's Palestine 36, Palestine's submission, and Cherien Dabis' All That's Left of You, Jordan's entry (The Hollywood Reporter).
Documentaries have an established, if uncommon, path through the Best International Feature category. Jonas Poher Rasmussen's animated documentary Flee earned a rare triple nomination at the 2021 Oscars — for best documentary, best animated feature, and best international feature. Honeyland, from North Macedonia, was the first film from that country to receive an Oscar nomination, in 2019 (The Hollywood Reporter).
The Oscar calendar now sets the pace. AMPAS — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — will announce the 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature Film on 15 December 2026. The five nominees follow on 21 January 2027, with the 99th Academy Awards ceremony set for 14 March 2027 (The Hollywood Reporter).
