The Democratic Republic of the Congo has opened a national call for films seeking selection as the country's entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Oscars, per an announcement from the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage.
Filmmakers have until September 30, 2026 to submit dossiers to the DRC Film Commission at drcfilmcommission@gmail.com. That date matches the Academy's International Feature submission deadline of 5 p.m. PT, September 30, 2026. Under the 99th Awards rules, each country or region may enter one film, chosen by an Academy-approved selection committee.
The announcement followed a June 25, 2026 press conference at the ministry in Kinshasa. Dr. Cecilia Zoppelletto — a member of the DRC Film Commission and public relations officer of APRO7, the Association des Professionnels du 7e Art — was received by Minister Yolande Elebe Ma Ndembo, who welcomed the outcome of the Commission's dealings with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and reaffirmed state support. The ministry says that support will take shape notably via the future Centre National du Cinéma Congolais (CNCC), a public body envisioned as the technical and logistical framework for the Commission's activities.
The DRC has one prior entry on record: Zeka Laplaine's "Macadam Tribu," submitted for the 70th Academy Awards in 1997. It was not nominated, and the country did not submit again. The ministry frames cinema promotion as a priority of the government's Programme d'Action and ties the Oscar push to the formalization of the country's cultural and creative industries.
The 99th Oscars ceremony takes place March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles.
Source: africanfilmpress.com