The United Kingdom has selected Pegah Ahangarani's documentary Rehearsals for a Revolution as its official submission for the best international feature film category at the 2027 Oscars. The film previously won the L'Oeil d'Or for best documentary at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
The documentary spans more than 40 years of Iran's history, drawing on Ahangarani's own experiences of exile alongside the stories of her relatives and mentors. To construct its portrait of a nation marked by political repression and an enduring hope for revolution, the filmmaker incorporates personal archives, home videos, footage of street protests, newspapers and recorded voices.
Ahangarani, 42, spent more than two and a half years writing, researching and editing the film in the U.K., collaborating with a team of British crew members. Rehearsals for a Revolution had its world premiere in the special screenings section at Cannes earlier this year before going on to screen at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in the U.K. in September.
Sony Pictures Classics will run Oscar-qualifying screenings of the film in New York and Los Angeles in December. The documentary will then open exclusively at Landmark's Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles and Film Forum in New York on Jan. 8, 2027, before expanding to additional theaters in the following weeks.
"How extraordinary to see Pegah's remarkable film recognized in this category. From winning the L'Oeil d'Or at Cannes to the standing ovations at TIFF and now this recognition, Rehearsals for a Revolution is building incredible momentum and marking a significant moment for a formidable female filmmaker creating in exile from her home country," Sony Pictures Classics said in a statement. "This selection in the best international feature category has the potential to be truly transformative for the film, opening doors to audiences around the world while shining a spotlight on Pegah's extraordinary talent and her vital voice. It's a recognition that will have a lasting impact not only on the life of this film, but on Pegah's future career as a filmmaker."
The submission comes a year after Norway's Sentimental Value, directed by Joachim Trier and starring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård, won the best international feature film award at the 98th Academy Awards.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will reveal the 15-film shortlist for the 2027 best international feature film Oscar on Dec. 15, with the five nominees announced on Jan. 21. The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14, 2027.
Photo: Hamed Malekpour, CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
