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This is a curated guide to notable selections, not a complete program or a ranking. The “Oscar hopefuls” label reflects how the picks article framed some films before the event; it does not mean they were confirmed nominees.
Palestinian films at the heart of the selection
Palestinian cinema was a central thread in the picks. The official festival listing identifies Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36 as the opening film. Set during the 1936 Arab rebellion against British colonial rule in Mandatory Palestine, it follows Yusuf between his rural home and Jerusalem as the uprising unfolds. Its listed cast includes Hiam Abbass, Kamel Al Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Saleh Bakri, Liam Cunningham and Jeremy Irons.
Three other Palestinian titles broaden the picture, from a child’s journey to family history and a darkly comic premise:
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- The Sea follows a 12-year-old Palestinian boy trying to reach the Mediterranean.
- All That’s Left of You traces a Palestinian family across decades, beginning with a teenager’s involvement in a West Bank protest.
- Once Upon a Time in Gaza follows a filmmaker who hires a shop worker resembling a slain militant for a propaganda film.
Jacir’s earlier film Wajib was also screened, offering a chance to encounter a previous work by the director of the opening film. These titles belonged to the broader selection; Palestine 36 alone is identified as the opening film.
What “Oscar hopefuls” meant in the picks
The picks article grouped together country submissions and a prediction, categories that should not be confused with confirmed nominations or results. It identified Palestine 36 as Palestine’s entry and The Sea as Israel’s entry for the 2026 Academy Awards International Feature Film category. It also described A Poet as Colombia’s entry and called Die My Love likely to be nominated. Those descriptions reflect the article’s awards-season framing, not a claim that the films were nominated or won.
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For viewers choosing a film, this group spans distinct subjects: historical resistance in Palestine 36, a boy’s attempted journey in The Sea, and contemporary or intergenerational stories in the other selections. The awards framing is one way to navigate the list, not an objective ranking of the films.
International features to look for
The international recommendations move between political suspense, family drama, dark comedy and genre film. Their short descriptions below are drawn from the picks article; they are viewing hooks, not claims of firsthand assessment.
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- It Was Just an Accident, directed by Jafar Panahi, follows a man who believes he has encountered the person who once tormented him in prison.
- The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, is a political thriller set during Brazil’s military dictatorship.
- Sentimental Value, directed by Joachim Trier, centers on a filmmaker and his daughters.
- No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan-wook, follows a paper-company employee after he is dismissed. The picks article describes it as a second adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s novel The Ax; the book is optional source-material context, not a prerequisite for the film.
- Die My Love, directed by Lynne Ramsay and based on Ariana Harwicz’s novel, was also among the selections.
Further festival discoveries by country and genre
Beyond the awards discussion, the picks point to films with markedly different settings and tones:
- A Useful Ghost offers a Thai comedy-horror premise in which a dead wife inhabits a vacuum cleaner.
- The President’s Cake is set in 1990s Iraq.
- Cinema Jazireh follows a woman in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan searching for her missing son.
- Resurrection is a Chinese science-fiction drama.
- Two Seasons, Two Strangers is a Japanese film that the picks article says won Locarno’s top prize. It later received IFFK 2025’s Suvarna Chakoram for Best Film, according to the festival archive.
- A Sad and Beautiful World explores Lebanon through a relationship spanning three decades.
- Sirat follows a father and son searching for a missing daughter at a Moroccan rave.
Program strands beyond individual features
IFFK’s themed sections offered another way to explore the festival: by national cinema, animation or a filmmaker’s body of work. The official categories included a Country Focus: Vietnam, retrospectives and sections devoted to Garin Nugroho and Youssef Chahine.
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Vietnam country focus
The picks article named five films in the Vietnam focus: The Tree House (2019), Glorious Ashes (2022), Cu Li Never Cries (2024), Don’t Cry, Butterfly (2024) and Once Upon a Love Story (2024). The official categories page confirms the country-focus strand.
Animation and filmmaker programs
The contemporary animation package included Allah is not Obliged, Arco, Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake and The Girl Who Stole Time. Other routes through the program included a Youssef Chahine retrospective, a Ritwik Ghatak centenary program, a Saeed Mirza retrospective and a focus on Indonesian filmmaker Garin Nugroho. The official categories page independently lists the Vietnam focus, retrospectives, and Garin Nugroho and Youssef Chahine sections.
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Festival dates and confirmed award outcome
The 30th IFFK took place in Thiruvananthapuram from 12 to 19 December 2025; the official archive records the closing ceremony on 19 December and publishes the award results. Alongside the Suvarna Chakoram for Two Seasons, Two Strangers, the archive records a special jury mention for Tillottama Shome’s performance in Baksho Bondi, a technical-excellence mention for Black Rabbit, White Rabbit and the audience poll award for തന്തപ്പേര്.
The International Film Market of Kerala was scheduled to run alongside the festival from 13 to 16 December 2025, with a stated aim of supporting co-production, financing and international market access for Indian films. That was part of the 2025 event, not a current opportunity.
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