A nine-member committee of cinema experts will select Sri Lanka’s official entry for the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards in 2027, National Film Corporation Chairman Sudath Mahaadivulwewa announced on Friday.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Government Information Department, he described the move as a historic milestone following approval of a special request made to the Oscar organisers, the Daily Mirror reported.
The timetable
Applications from films seeking to represent Sri Lanka opened on 24 August and close on 21 September 2026, and are submitted by email to [email protected].
The National Oscar Selection Committee of Sri Lanka (NOSCSL) will then evaluate the submissions and vote on the film considered most suitable to represent the country. The selected film is to be announced on 28 September 2026.
What the committee is
The announcement is the public launch of a body set up earlier this year. Reporting in The Sunday Times on 23 August, when applications opened, said the NOSCSL had been approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and that its nine members are drawn from filmmaking, directing, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, film journalism and criticism, film programming and international film promotion.
Its mandate is to administer the preliminary screening and evaluation of submissions and recommend a single official entry, judging on artistic merit, storytelling, technical excellence and cultural significance, while keeping the films under consideration and the voting confidential until the announcement.
That matters more than the procedural detail suggests. A submission to the International Feature Film category must come from an approved national selecting body; a standing, Academy-recognised committee replaces ad hoc arrangements and makes an annual submission possible as a matter of routine rather than of effort.
Mahaadivulwewa, a veteran director, has chaired the National Film Corporation since December 2024.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror does not name the nine members, say how they were chosen or for how long they serve, or state how many films have applied so far. It does not give the eligibility rules — the Academy requires a qualifying theatrical release in the country of origin within a set window, and predominantly non-English dialogue — or say whether Sri Lanka made a submission for the 2026 awards.
Neither the announcement nor the reporting says what happens if no submitted film meets the Academy’s criteria.
