MENA Left the 2026 Oscars Empty-Handed, But Not Invisible

At the 98th Academy Awards, no film from the Middle East and North Africa took home an Oscar, but the region was still present through major nominations, quiet political echoes, and Zar Amir Ebrahimi

Held amid a tense regional climate, with the war on Iran and the wider Middle East crisis shaping the atmosphere beyond Hollywood, the 98th Academy Awards unfolded with a few brief political echoes on and off the red carpet. Still, the clearest MENA-linked victory of the night came through Two People Exchanging Saliva, the only Oscar-winning film this year to feature Iranian-French actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi.

Zar Amir Ebrahimi at Two People Exchanging Saliva - Illustration by Souzian Dispatch

The short won Best Live Action Short Film in a rare tie with The Singers, giving the ceremony one small but meaningful connection to the region, even as no film from the Middle East and North Africa itself took home a trophy. Congratulations to filmmakers Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh, along with the wider team behind the film. For many viewers in the region, the film’s win felt even more meaningful because Zar Amir Ebrahimi was part of it.

What makes Two People Exchanging Saliva interesting is that it is not a simple festival short built around one visual trick. It is set in a surreal black-and-white world where kissing is illegal, and people buy things by slapping each other. The result is absurd, funny, and disturbing at the same time, as if desire, punishment, and consumer culture have all been folded into one strange social ritual.

That strange world is also political, even if the film never turns into a speech. The New Yorker described it as a satire of consumerism and sexual repression, and noted that its inspirations include global authoritarianism and Iran’s Woman, Life, Freedom protests. That context makes the Oscar win feel larger than a short-film headline. It becomes a reminder that even when MENA does not win directly, the region still leaves traces in the stories that travel furthest.

As for the region’s official nominees, MENA had presence but no final victory. Iran was represented by It Was Just an Accident in Best International Feature Film, and that same film also earned a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Iran also appeared through Cutting Through Rocks in Best Documentary Feature Film. Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film deeply tied to Palestine through its story and cast, was nominated for Best International Feature Film as well.

Other region-linked titles also appeared around the edges of the nominations. Butcher’s Stain was nominated in Best Live Action Short Film, and Children No More: “Were and Are Gone” was among the nominees in Best Documentary Short Film. So the final number is clear: zero Oscar-winning films came from MENA this year, even though the region showed up in several meaningful categories.

Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki, directors of Cutting Through Rocks, the first Iranian feature documentary ever nominated for an Oscar. Photo by Julie Parker Benello.

Beyond the main nominees, there were a few more connections worth noticing. Sirat, a Spain-led nominee in Best International Feature Film, kept North Africa in the conversation through its Moroccan setting, even if it was not a MENA production in the strict sense. Iranian-French cinematographer Darius Khondji was also nominated for Best Cinematography for Marty Supreme, which added another Iranian name to the wider Oscar map this year.

And then there was the mood of the night itself. A few artists made short anti-war gestures, with Javier Bardem offering the clearest one when he appeared with a “No to war” pin and voiced support for Palestine. It did not define the ceremony, but it did remind everyone that world events were never really outside the room. In that sense, this was a night without a trophy for MENA, but not a night without presence.