Academy Awards

From 1976 to 2026: how international movies became major players at the Oscars

A look at how the Academy’s criteria regarding international productions have evolved over half a century.

Update: Mar 12th, 2026 08:44 EDT

The Oscars have long carried a reputation for favoring Hollywood productions, with American films traditionally dominating the major categories. Still, every so often, international cinema has broken through with enough force to reshape the awards conversation.

As we look ahead to the 2026 ceremony, it’s striking to see how dramatically public perception of non‑English‑language films has evolved since 1976 — the year One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest swept the night.

That 1976 ceremony did feature a diverse lineup of global films, but their impact was nowhere near what we see today.

1976 vs. 2026: a tale of two very different Oscar landscapes

The 2026 Oscars stand out for the sheer prominence of international cinema. Several films from around the world have earned major visibility this year, including Sentimental Value, which racked up an impressive nine nominations — a clear sign of how global the film industry has become.

This surge in international recognition invites a look back at the 1976 ceremony, which also showcased films from a wide range of countries, though with far less influence on the night’s biggest awards.

From 1976 to 2026: how international movies became major players at the Oscars — ‘Dersu Uzala (The Hunter)’ (1975)

1976 nominees for Best Foreign Language Film

(then known as Best Foreign Language Film, now Best International Feature)

Dersu Uzala (The Hunter) — Soviet Union
Actas de Marusia — Mexico
The Promised Land — Poland
Sandakan No. 8 — Japan
Scent of a Woman — Italy

Many of these films went on to become classics within their national cinemas. The winner, Dersu Uzala, directed by legendary Japanese maestro Akira Kurosawa, is now considered one of the great humanist epics of the 20th century.

Scent of a Woman and The Promised Land also remain staples of European film history.

Of the nominees, Scent of a Woman was the only one to break out of its category, earning an additional nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay — a small but telling sign that international films were beginning to push beyond their designated lane.

Still, in the broader context of the 1970s, foreign films weren’t generally viewed as serious contenders against Hollywood’s heavyweights.

2026: International cinema takes center stage

Fast‑forward fifty years, and the landscape looks completely different. Here are the 2026 nominees for Best International Feature:

It Was Just an Accident (Un simple accident, 2025) — France
The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto, 2025) — Brazil
Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi, 2025) — Norway
Sirāt (2025) — Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab (Ṣawt Hind Rajab, 2025) — Tunisia

This year’s lineup spans Europe, Latin America, and North Africa — and several of these films have broken into categories historically dominated by Hollywood, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

Sentimental Value leads the international pack with nine nominations, followed by The Secret Agent with four. It Was Just an Accident and Sirāt each earned two.

A half‑century of change

The contrast between 1976 and 2026 is as revealing as it is dramatic. While the 1976 Oscars offered a glimpse of global cinema’s richness, international films were still largely confined to their own category. Today, that diversity is woven into the very fabric of the ceremony.

Fifty years after One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest dominated the Oscars, international cinema is once again front and center — a reminder that film has become a truly universal language.