India at Oscars 2026: Homebound not among 5 shortlisted nominations in the Best International Feature Film

India at Oscars 2026: Brazil, France, Norway, Tunisia and Spain will compete for the Oscar in the International Feature Film category. None of India’s other eligible films have made it either

A still from Homebound

Homebound, the Neeraj Ghaywan directed drama, has failed to make it from the initial shortlist of 15 films to the final 5 that will compete for the Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category. The shortlist entry had sparked hope of another Oscar win for the country as India’s official entry, but that was not to be, with films from Brazil, Norway, Spain, France and Tunisia making the final cut. The nominations for the 98thAcademy Awards were announced earlier on January 22, 2026. The event will be held on March 15 in Los Angeles.

Which are the films that have made it to the final Oscar nominations in the Internatonal Film category?

Homebound is based on a 2020 New York Times article by Basharat Peer and follows two friends – Shoaib and Chandan hailing from oppressed backgrounds. The final nominations, meanwhile, are The Secret Agent, It Was Just An Accident, Sentimental Value, The Voice of Hind Rajab and Sirât.

Also read: Homebound Review: Through Ishaan, Janhvi and Vishal, Ghaywan finds melancholy in the margins we ignore

The frontrunner, of course, is Brazil’s The Secret Agent, which most recently won in the category at the Golden Globe Awards and got lead actor Wagner Moura a Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, as well. The Secret Agent, incidentally, is also listed among the 10 films in the Best Film category, while Wagner’s got a Best Actor nomination.

Also read: Homebound on OTT: Netizens approve Neeraj Ghaywan's film for Oscars, regret not going to theatres

Meanwhile, the other Indian films that had fulfilled eligibility criteria and made it to the general list of 317 movies, did not make it to the nominations either. Five films – Kantara Chapter 1, Mahavatar Narsimha, Tourist Family, Tanvi The Great and Sister Midnight – had gone to town about making it to the general list.

Making it to the next stage, though, is a massive task that involves a lot of lobbying and funding, which is not a viable option for most. In fact, Homebound producer Karan Johar had dubbed it a bottomless pit.

Homebound FAQs

Q: Who directed the film Homebound?

A: The film Homebound was directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, who is known for his celebrated 2015 debut feature, Masaan.

Q: Who are the main actors in the Homebound movie?

A: The main cast members of Homebound are Ishaan Khatter as Mohammed Shoaib Ali, Vishal Jethwa as Chandan Kumar, and Janhvi Kapoor as Sudha Bharti.

Q: Was Martin Scorsese involved in the film Homebound?

A: Yes, acclaimed American filmmaker Martin Scorsese served as an executive producer on Homebound. He also provided feedback to Neeraj Ghaywan during the screenplay writing and editing phases of the production.

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