Poland selects Pawel Pawlikowski's Cannes winner Fatherland for 99th Academy Awards
A nine-member selection committee chose Pawel Pawlikowski's post-war drama Fatherland to represent Poland in the Best International Feature category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Selection decision and competing titles
A nine-member selection committee convened at the Polish Film Institute in Warsaw on Friday, 18 September 2026, to choose Poland's official entry for the 99th Academy Awards. Producer Jan Naszewski chaired the panel, which included director Małgorzata Szumowska, Polish Film Institute director Kamila Dorbach, and Łódź Film School rector Milenia Fiedler. The committee evaluated seven qualifying Polish productions before selecting Paweł Pawlikowski's drama Fatherland (Ojczyzna). The competing submissions included Łukasz Palkowski's Katyn drama Pojedynek, Piotr Domalewski's biographical film Nasza rewolucja, Emi Buchwald's Nie ma duchów w mieszkaniu na Dobrej, Jan Holoubek's Dziki, dziki wschód, Michał Marczak's Bez końca, and Maciej Sobieszczański's Przez ścianę.
Cast and creative collaboration
Fatherland completes an informal post-World War II European trilogy alongside Pawlikowski's earlier features Ida and Cold War. Co-written by Pawlikowski and Henk Handloegten, the black-and-white film portrays German author Thomas Mann, played by Hanns Zischler, traveling across divided Germany in 1949 with his daughter Erika, portrayed by Sandra Hüller. The narrative follows their road trip from the American-controlled zone in Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar, while also examining Mann's relationship with his son Klaus, played by August Diehl. Supporting roles feature Devid Striesow and Anna Madeley. Pawlikowski reunited with his core collaborators, including cinematographer Łukasz Żal, costume designer Aleksandra Staszko, editor Piotr Wójcik, and production designers Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński. Principal photography took place mainly in Poland, with pianist Marcin Masecki arranging period songs performed in the film by Joanna Kulig.
Festival recognition and co-producers
The drama held its world premiere in May 2026 in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where Pawlikowski won the best director prize ex aequo with Spanish directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for Black Ball. In Poland, Fatherland has drawn over 100,000 cinema admissions following its domestic cinema release. International theatrical distribution across foreign territories is scheduled to begin around the end of 2026 and early 2027. The project was financed through a European co-production network involving Extreme Emotions in Poland, Our Films and Circle One in Italy, Nine Hours in Germany, Chapter 2 in France, and Apocalypso Pictures, with participation from Arte and Pathé. Key producers on the project include Ewa Puszczyńska, Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Mieli, Jeanne Tremsal, Edward Berger, Dimitri Rassam, and Lorenzo Gangarossa.
Pawlikowski's Academy Awards history
- Ida wins the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
- Pawlikowski wins Best Director at Cannes Film Festival for Cold War
- Cold War receives three Academy Award nominations
- Fatherland premieres at Cannes and wins Best Director
- Poland selects Fatherland as its entry for the 99th Academy Awards
Pawlikowski previously directed the only Polish film to win the Oscar for Best International Feature, claiming the award in 2015 for Ida. That title went on to earn more than $3.5 million in United States theatrical gross. His 2018 follow-up, Cold War, secured three nominations at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019 for best director, best cinematography, and best international feature. Fatherland represents Pawlikowski's third feature film chosen to represent Poland in the category. The film's critical run at Cannes, alongside international co-producers Mubi and Mediawan companies, forms the foundation for its upcoming campaign across the winter awards season.
