Frankly, you can make an entire Best Picture category at the 2026 Oscars just by pulling from this year's international releases, from "The Secret Agent" to "Sirât" to "Sentimental Value." In fact, one of this writer's favorite films of the past year, full stop, was a foreign wonder: Jafar Panahi's tense Iranian thriller "It Was Just an Accident," which claimed the prestigious Palme d'Or prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
Though "Accident" fared far better at the 2026 Golden Globes, where it was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language as well as well as Best Director and Best Screenplay for Panahi, it did get some love among this year's Academy Award nominees: It's up for Best International Feature Film and Best Screenplay. However, the chilling drama was undeservedly snubbed in the Best Picture category, and Panahi was nowhere to be found among the Best Director cohorts.
