Chile Submits "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo" for Oscars Race

Chile has selected Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Grand Prix winner “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” as its submission for the 2026 Academy Awards in the best international feature film category.

The directorial feature debut of Diego Céspedes will also vie for the best Ibero-American film prize at Spain’s prestigious Goya Awards. It will have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 9.

Lead produced by Giancarlo Nasi of Quijote Films and Les Valseurs’ Justin Pechberty and Damien Megherbi, It's other partners are Weydemann Brothers (Germany), Wrong Men (Belgium), and Irusoin (Germany).

More than 400 members of the Chilean Film Academy, comprising a broad spectrum of professionals from the national audiovisual sector, chose the multi-awarded drama over five other contenders, which included “The Wave” (“La Ola”) from Sebastian Lelio who took home the 2018 International Feature Oscar for “A Fantastic Woman.”

Aside from its coveted Cannes prize, the film has won the Sebastiane Latino Award from the San Sebastián Film Festival, the best first feature and Special Jury Prize from the Lima Film Festival and the critics’ FIPRESCI Award at the Brussels International Film Festival this year.

The Oscar international feature shortlist will be announced on December 16 and the final five nominees will be announced on January 22.