{"id":538463,"date":"2025-10-30T21:49:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T21:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/538463\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T21:49:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T21:49:15","slug":"everything-to-know-about-spains-oscar-entry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/538463\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to know about Spain’s Oscar entry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following his Cannes-winning Fire Will Come, filmmaker Oliver Laxe<\/a><\/strong> returns with Sir\u00e2t, a metaphysical survival drama that earned him a 2025 Gotham Award nomination for Best Director. Representing Spain in the 2026 Oscars<\/a> race for Best International Feature<\/a>, the Spanish-language film expands on Laxe\u2019s fascination with spiritual transformation and human endurance.<\/p>\n

Distributed in the U.S. by Neon, Sir\u00e2t will open theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on Nov. 14 for a one-week qualifying run, followed by a wide release in 2026.<\/p>\n

See the teaser trailer below and read on for everything you need to know about Sir\u00e2t.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

What it\u2019s about<\/p>\n

Sir\u00e2t follows Luis, an ordinary man whose journey through the Sahara Desert becomes both a physical trial and a metaphysical reckoning. The film examines how people respond when confronted with death, transformation, and the possibility of change \u2014 both personal and societal. Stripped bare by loss and fear, Luis and his companions must rediscover their humanity and learn to walk through darkness toward something resembling grace.<\/p>\n

\"Colin<\/a> \"Laurence<\/a> <\/p>\n

Who\u2019s in it<\/p>\n

The ensemble includes Sergi L\u00f3pez<\/strong> (Pan\u2019s Labyrinth, Dirty Pretty Things) as Luis, with Br\u00fano Nu\u00f1ez<\/strong> as Esteban, Stefania Gadda<\/strong> as Stef, Joshua Liam Henderson<\/strong> as Josh, Tonin Janvier<\/strong> as Tonin, Jade Oukida<\/strong> as Jade, and Richard Bellamy<\/strong> as Bigui.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s behind the camera<\/p>\n

Sir\u00e2t is directed by Oliver Laxe, a Paris-born Spanish filmmaker celebrated for his spiritual, visually hypnotic storytelling. <\/p>\n

The screenplay was co-written by Santiago Fillol<\/strong> and Laxe. Mauro Herce<\/strong> serves as director of photography, Laia Ateca<\/strong> as production designer, Crist\u00f3bal Fern\u00e1ndez<\/strong> as editor, and Nadia Acimi<\/strong> as costume designer. The original score by David Letellier<\/strong> (also known as Kangding Ray<\/strong>) evolves from raw, pulsing techno to transcendent ambient, echoing the film\u2019s emotional and spiritual descent.<\/p>\n

Produced by Filmes da Ermida, El Deseo, Uri Films, and 4A4 Productions, Sir\u00e2t is a Movistar Plus+ Original co-produced with ARTE Germany. Executive producer Esther Garc\u00eda<\/strong> and producer Oriol Maym\u00f3<\/strong> lead the production team, with additional support from Los Desertores Films.<\/p>\n

What the director says<\/p>\n

\u201cSir\u00e2t translates as \u2018path\u2019 or \u2018way.\u2019 It\u2019s also the name of the bridge that connects hell and paradise,\u201d says Laxe. \u201cMany of us wonder whether we\u2019re truly capable of change \u2014 or doomed to repeat the same mistakes. The film is about that inner path that pushes you to die before you die.\u201d<\/p>\n

He calls Sir\u00e2t \u201ctough but necessary,\u201d describing it as a story where \u201cfragile characters begin to care for each other in a communion of scars.\u201d For Laxe, it\u2019s \u201ca film about death \u2014 but above all, a film about life.\u201d<\/p>\n

On working again with his longtime collaborators and new partners at El Deseo, Movistar Plus+, and Neon, he adds, \u201cI\u2019ve never felt better accompanied. From the beginning, they understood what I was trying to do. They\u2019ve been exquisite travel companions.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you can see it<\/p>\n

Sir\u00e2t premiered in competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and will screen in New York and Los Angeles starting Nov. 14, 2025, for a one-week qualifying engagement ahead of its wide theatrical release in 2026 through Neon.<\/p>\n

Awards potential<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s critical acclaim and selection as Spain\u2019s 2026 Oscar submission make it a key contender for Best International Feature, while its ethereal imagery and haunting sound design could also attract recognition in Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score categories.<\/p>\n

Laxe was nominated for Best Director at the 2026 Gotham Awards, but is still considered a long shot in Gold Derby’s 2026 Oscar odds<\/a>. The movie’s best shot is in Best International Feature, where it currently ranks seventh. Spain has a rich history in the International Feature category, with 21 nominations and four wins. The last Spanish film to win the Oscar was Alejandro Amen\u00e1bar<\/strong> The Sea Inside starring Javier Bardem<\/strong> in 2005. The most recent nominee was J.A. Bayona<\/strong>‘s Society of the Snow in 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following his Cannes-winning Fire Will Come, filmmaker Oliver Laxe returns with Sir\u00e2t, a metaphysical survival drama that earned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[173761,173762,2000,299,21862,173763,14673,173764,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-538463","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-2026-oscars","9":"tag-best-international-feature","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-fyc","13":"tag-oliver-laxe","14":"tag-oscars","15":"tag-sirat","16":"tag-spain"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115465327036430462","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}