Saudi Arabia has chosen Anas Ba Tahaf’s A Matter of Life and Death as its official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The Saudi Film Commission announced the selection, which was made by a committee appointed to review the Kingdom’s eligible films.
Set in present-day Jeddah, the film blends romance, fantasy and black comedy within a highly stylized visual world. Its official description calls it “a love story, just not the safe kind.” The story centers on Hayat, a fiercely independent young woman who is convinced that a generational curse will kill her on her 30th birthday. She crosses paths with a man whose abnormally slow heartbeat only seems to quicken when he comes close to death, or to killing. When the mythology behind Hayat’s curse is revealed, the live-action story briefly gives way to a handcrafted gothic animated sequence.
The film is written by and stars Sarah Taibah as Hayat, alongside Yaqoub Al-Farhan. Taibah is known for Mandoob, while Al-Farhan is known for Norah and Rashash.
Ba Tahaf previously worked as co-producer, editor and first assistant director on Mahmoud Sabbagh’s Barakah Meets Barakah, which represented Saudi Arabia at the 89th Academy Awards. Speaking about his latest film in an earlier interview with Arab News, he described it as the story of two people who have forgotten what it means to live because of their obsessions, until love brings them back and shows them how much there is to live for.
A Matter of Life and Death had its world premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival in December 2025. Its theatrical release was delayed by the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war at the end of February, and the film finally opened across Saudi Arabia on June 25. According to Variety, it earned roughly $600,000 at the box office, a decent figure for an independent title. It later received a jury special mention at the 12th Saudi Film Festival, where Taibah won the Golden Palm for Best Acting for her performance.
Saudi Arabia has never been nominated in the International Feature Film category. The Kingdom first entered the race with Wadjda in 2013, while Barakah Meets Barakah, which Ba Tahaf worked on, was its entry for the 2017 ceremony. The latest selection arrives as the country’s film industry continues to grow, helped by government programs, international festivals and the expansion of commercial cinemas across the Kingdom.
The film is produced by Mohamed Hefzy for Film Clinic, Gianluca Chakra for Front Row Filmed Entertainment, and Abdulelah Alahmary and Ahmad Taema for Arabia Pictures, with support from the Red Sea Fund. Front Row Filmed Entertainment is handling international sales.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will reveal the 15 films on the Best International Feature shortlist on December 15. The five nominees will be announced on January 21, 2027, and the 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.
A Matter of Life and Death blends romantic black comedy, live action and gothic animation, making it one of Saudi Arabia’s more distinctive entries in the Oscar race as the country seeks its first nomination in the category.
