# List of Palestinian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Palestine, as represented by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture has submitted films for consideration for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 2003. The Palestinians had also attempted to submit a film in 2002.
The Foreign Language Film award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. The award was created for the 1956 Academy Awards, succeeding the non-competitive Honorary Academy Awards which were presented between 1947 and 1955 to the best foreign language films released in the United States.
As of 2023, Palestine has submitted sixteen films to the International Academy Awards competition and received two nominations. The first for Paradise Now, and the last for Omar, both films were directed by Hany Abu-Assad.

## Submissions

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1956. The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.
Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Palestine for review by the academy for the award by year. All films were primarily spoken in Arabic.
| Year (Ceremony) | English title | Arabic title | Director | Result |
| 2003 (76th) | Divine Intervention | يد إلهية | Elia Suleiman | Not nominated |
| 2004 (77th) | The Olive Harvest | موسم زيتون | Hanna Elias | Not nominated |
| 2005 (78th) | Paradise Now | الجنّة الآن | Hany Abu-Assad | Nominated |
| 2008 (81st) | Salt of this Sea | ملح هذا البحر | Annemarie Jacir | Not nominated |
| 2012 (85th) | When I Saw You | لما شفتك | Annemarie Jacir | Not nominated |
| 2013 (86th) | Omar | عمر | Hany Abu-Assad | Nominated |
| 2014 (87th) | Eyes of a Thief | عيون الحراميه | Najwa Najjar | Not nominated |
| 2015 (88th) | The Wanted 18 | المطلوبون 18 | Paul Cowan, Amer Shomali | Not nominated |
| 2016 (89th) | The Idol | يا طير الطاير | Hany Abu-Assad | Not nominated |
| 2017 (90th) | Wajib | واجب | Annemarie Jacir | Not nominated |
| 2018 (91st) | Ghost Hunting | إصطياد اشباح | Raed Andoni | Not nominated |
| 2019 (92nd) | It Must Be Heaven | إن شئت كما في السماء | Elia Suleiman | Not nominated |
| 2020 (93rd) | Gaza mon amour | غزة حبيبتي | Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser | Not nominated |
| 2021 (94th) | The Stranger | الغريب | Ameer Fakher Eldin | Not nominated |
| 2022 (95th) | Mediterranean Fever | حمى البحر المتوسط | Maha Haj | Not nominated |
| 2023 (96th) | Bye Bye Tiberias | باي باي طبريا | Lina Soualem | Not nominated |
| 2024 (97th) | From Ground Zero | From Ground Zero | Aws Al-Banna, Ahmed Al-Danf, Basil Al-Maqousi, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Muhammad Alshareef, Ala Ayob, Bashar Al Balbisi, Alaa Damo, Awad Hana, Ahmad Hassunah, Mustafa Kallab, Satoum Kareem, Mahdi Karera, Rabab Khamees, Khamees Masharawi, Wissam Moussa, Tamer Najm, Abu Hasna Nidaa, Damo Nidal, Mahmoud Reema, Etimad Weshah and Islam Al Zrieai | Made shortlist |

## Recognition by AMPAS

Palestine had originally asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences permission to submit Divine Intervention in 2002, but was reportedly advised that the film would not be accepted since Palestine was not internationally recognized as a country, and because the film had not been selected by a national jury as required by official rules. The decision to bar the country on the basis of nationality proved controversial, especially since other entities without international recognition, including Hong Kong, Puerto Rico and Taiwan had long participated in the competition, receiving several Oscar nominations. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences relented a year later, and allowed the film to compete.

## Name of the country

When AMPAS announces their "longlist" of eligible foreign films each year, the Palestinian submission is designated as the representative of "Palestine". However, when Paradise Now succeeding in getting an Oscar nomination under this moniker, pro-Israeli groups in the United States objected to the name. After intense lobbying from Jewish groups, the academy decided to designate Paradise Now as a submission from the Palestinian Authority, a move that was decried by the film's director Hany Abu-Assad. As a compromise, the film was eventually announced as a submission from the Palestinian Territories. Subsequent to this, Salt of this Sea was once again recognized on AMPAS' official website as the representative of Palestine.
In 2014, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named Palestine as the place of origin for Hany Abu-Assad's Omar, rather than the Palestinian territories, the designation used for Hany Abu-Assad's earlier work Paradise Now.