LAV DIAZ'S 'MAGELLAN,' OTHER FILIPINO FILMS SET SIGHTS ON OSCARS 2026

WILL LAV DIAZ'S "Magellan" receive a nomination in the Oscars 2026's Best International Feature Film category?

- By CHARMIE JOY PAGULONG

The Oscars 15-film shortlist for the Best International Feature Film will be announced on Dec. 16, while the five nominees will be revealed on Jan. 22 next year.

Since the announcement of "Magellan" as the country's entry to the Oscars, Diaz and lead actor Gael Garcia Bernal have been actively campaigning for Academy votes in the US, Asia and Europe.

The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), led by director-general Paolo Villaluna, has expressed their strong support for "Magellan's" bid for an Oscar nomination, noting that the historical epic has consistently appeared among the picks of various international entertainment websites.

The film agency shared that in a Nov. 6 article in Variety, "Magellan" was placed among the Top 15 contenders for Best International Feature Film; the Oscar prediction site Gold Derby currently ranks it 12th; The New Yorker's Justin Chang listed it among his honorable mentions for the year's best films and The Film Stage highlighted "Magellan" in its feature on "The Best Cinematography of 2025," citing the work of its cinematographer, Artur Tort.

"So right now, because of the robust government support also, Lav Diaz and his team are in France. They are doing a campaign there because maraming European Academy voters. All of these voters will be voting between Dec. 8 to 15. So (let's) cross fingers for that," Villaluna expressed during the media launch of the revamped FAP.