Canada has officially selected Nina Roza as its submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, giving writer-director Geneviève Dulude De Celles’ drama a new place in the international awards race. The film, which won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival, follows Mihail, a Bulgarian-Canadian art expert who returns to Bulgaria after 30 years to investigate paintings linked to an eight-year-old viral art prodigy.
The selection was announced by Telefilm Canada on August 25. Nina Roza was chosen by a pan-Canadian committee from 17 films, according to Screen Daily. However, the selection does not mean the film has received an Oscar nomination. The Academy will later determine which submitted films advance to the shortlist before selecting the final five nominees.
For Dulude De Celles, the selection follows a strong festival run for her second fiction feature. Nina Roza premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, where Dulude De Celles won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. The film subsequently had its North American premiere at the 44th Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma and screened at festivals including Sofia, Istanbul, Jeonju and Shanghai. It also received a theatrical release in Quebec in April.
At the centre of the story is Mihail, played by Galin Stoev. A Bulgarian immigrant living in Quebec, Mihail returns to his homeland for the first time in decades to determine whether paintings attributed to a young child artist are genuine. His investigation also forces him to confront parts of his own past that he left behind.
Michelle Tzontchev, Christian Bégin, and twin sisters Sofia and Ekaterina Stanina are also part of the cast. Their characters become connected to Mihail as his investigation unfolds in Bulgaria, with the film combining questions surrounding art and authenticity with the personal history of a man reconnecting with the country he left many years earlier.
Nina Roza is a four-country production involving Canada, Belgium, Bulgaria and Italy. Canadian producers Sarah Mannering and Fanny Drew produced the film through Colonelle Films, alongside international producers Lorenzo Fiuzzi and Bardo Tarantelli from Italy, Lubomira Piperova and Nikolay Mutafchiev from Bulgaria, and Benoît Hansez and Etienne Hansez from Belgium.
The international production background mirrors the film’s story, which connects Mihail’s life in Quebec with his return to Bulgaria. At the same time, the film remains focused on his investigation and the mystery surrounding the young artist’s paintings.
Canada’s selection gives Nina Roza another significant milestone following its Berlin recognition. The film must still progress through the Academy’s selection process before it can become an Oscar nominee. For the 99th Academy Awards, the 15-film Best International Feature shortlist is scheduled to be announced on December 15, with the final Oscar nominations set for January 21, 2027.
The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027. Until then, Nina Roza’s position in the awards race will depend on the Academy’s next stages. For now, Canada’s decision gives Dulude De Celles’ film an important opportunity to continue its journey from Berlin recognition to the international Oscar race.
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