Switzerland Picks Gaza Doc Who is Still Alive as 2027 Oscar submission

Switzerland has selected Nicolas Wadimoff’s Who is Still Alive, a documentary about nine Palestinian refugees who escaped the violence in Gaza, as its official pick for the 2027 Oscar race in the best international feature category.

In his experimental doc, Wadimoff has the Palestinian refugees recreate the experiences of their escape from Gaza on a barren stage marked out by chalk outlines, in the style of Lars von Trier’s Dogville.

Who is Still Alive premiered in the Venice Days selection of the Venice Film Festival last year, and was picked up by Watermelon Pictures for U.S. release, with a domestic rollout planned for later this year. First Hand Films are handling international sales.

The documentary was produced by Wadimoff’s Geneva-based Akka Films in co-production with French group Easy Rider Films, the Palestinian/Jordanian Philistine Films and Cocoon Films out of London, along with Swiss public broadcaster RTS Radio Télévision Suisse.

Watermelon released two international features that made last year’s Oscar shortlist: Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36, Palestine’s official submission, and Cherien Dabis’ All That’s Left of You, Jordan’s Oscar contender. There were also producers on Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated The Voice of Hind Rajab, which was Tunisia’s official Academy Award submission.

International documentaries rarely succeed in securing an Academy Award nomination, but there are exceptions. Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated doc Flee was a triple Oscar nominee, for best documentary, best animated feature, and best international feature, in 2021. Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s documentary Honeyland was the first film from North Macedonia to receive an Oscar nomination in 2019.

AMPAS will announce the 15 films on the Best International Feature Film shortlist on Dec. 15. The five nominees will be announced Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.