Poland Chooses Pawlikowski's 'Fatherland' for Oscar Contention

WHO:

Deadline - Paweł Pawlikowski is the director and co-writer of "Fatherland."

Variety - The film stars Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler.

WHAT:

Deadline - "Fatherland" has been selected by the Polish selection committee as its official submission for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards.

Variety - The film is a post-WWII drama that follows German novelist Thomas Mann and his daughter on a road trip across Germany in 1949.

Deadline - The film won Pawlikowski the Best Director award ex aequo at the Cannes Film Festival.

WHERE:

Variety - The film is set in Germany.

WHEN:

Variety - "Fatherland" world premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

WHY:

Deadline - The selection for the Oscars is part of Poland's effort to represent its cinema on an international stage.

HOW:

Deadline - The film will be released stateside by Mubi.

(UPDATED September 18, 2026 18:04 UTC)

"Fatherland," directed and co-written by Paweł Pawlikowski and starring Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler, has been chosen by the Polish selection committee as its official submission for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. This post-WWII drama, which follows German novelist Thomas Mann and his daughter on a road trip across Germany in 1949, won Pawlikowski the Best Director award ex aequo at the Cannes Film Festival, where it also had its world premiere. The film will be released in the United States by Mubi, marking Poland's effort to showcase its cinema on an international stage.