Tehran – Director Ali Zarnegar’s psychological mystery thriller “The Cause of Death: Unknown” has been officially selected as Iran’s submission to the 2026 Academy Awards in the best international feature film category.
The decision comes after the selection committee of the Farabi Film Foundation, which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Leadership, and assesses all eligible films that have been screened locally since October last year, Isna reported.
The nine-member committee unanimously selected “Causes of Death: Unknown” from five finalists representing Iran at the 2026 Oscars.
The panel consisted of figures from Iranian films, including directors Abolhassan Davoodi and Mostafa Kiaei, documentary director Azadeh Mousavi, actress Pantea Panahiha, actor Ali Dehkordi, screenwriter Farhad Tohidi, Photography Hooman Behmanesh, and Designer Mohammad Reza Delpak’s Designer Mohammad Reza Delpak’s Designer Mohammad Reza Delpak’s Designer Mohammad Reza Delpak. Mohammad Reza Tashakoli.
Other finalists included the feature film The Old Bachelor directed by Oktay Baraheni, Woman and Child by Saeed Roustayi, Call Me Ziba by Rasul Sadr Ameli, and Raha by Hesam Farahmand.
The film follows a group of strangers traveling through Iran’s LUT desert. When one of them suddenly dies in the middle of the night, emergency services refuse to send an ambulance because the cause of death has not been verified by a doctor. Looking for the body, men are forced to find a lot of money and face moral and ethical dilemma. Do they bring their bodies to the hospital, bury the bodies and divide the cash?
Set against the backdrop of life and death, the film delves into the complex interactions of morality, survival and human nature when faced with unknown and dire circumstances.
The film examines the social reality of the era in which it was produced, and shows the struggles and crises that people must overcome to maintain morality and humanity. It provides an expression of social history and cultural identity that reflects the moral principles of the Iranian people.
“Causes of Death: The Unknown” addresses the widespread social issues in Iranian society and provides a critical analysis of the struggles encountered by both individuals and communities. The film sheds light on Iran’s cultural and historical context by showing morality and humanity.
The 106-minute film includes Banipal Shoomoon, Alireza Sanifar, Neda Jebraeili, Ali Mohammad Radmanesh, Zakieh Behbahani, Reza Amouzad, Soheil Bavi, Saeed Rezaeikia, Milad Moradi, Ashkan Ashoori and Sahar Babi.
“The Cause of Death: The Unknown” premiered at the 2023 Shanghai Film Festival and won the best cinematography award by photographer Davoud Marek Hosseini.
Earlier this February, the film won the audience’s favourite film award at the 3rd Iran Film Festival, New York.
The film has also gained international recognition, being screened at festivals like the Turin Underground Cinefest in Italy, the Pigeon International Film Festival in Iceland, the Girona Film Festival in Spain, the Monadnock International Film Festival in the US, and the Zurich Film Festival in Iran.
A total of three films submitted by Iran have secured Oscar nominations in the best foreign film category ever. It is the “Children of a Child” of Majid Majidi in 1999, and the “Separation” and “Salesman” of Asgalfer Hadi, who won in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
Submissions to the 98th Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category have been appearing at a steady pace since mid-August, with combat heated up in the category earlier than in the past few years.
International feature films are primarily defined as feature-length films (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with non-English dialogue tracks (over 50%) and can include animation and documentary features.
The submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025. The deadline for submission to the Academy is October 1, 2025.
A total of 86 countries submitted the film to the 97th Academy Awards category, 15 people created a nominee list, and five were ultimately nominated. Directed by Walter Salles, Brazil’s “I’m Still Here” scooped Oscars into the category.
The Academy will announce its first list of 15 films on December 16th, 2025 at the 2026 Best International Feature Oscar competition. The final nomination will be announced on January 22, 2026.
Photo: Scene from “Cause of Death: Unknown”
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