The Iranian drama Cause of Death: Unknown, directed by Ali Zarnegar, has officially been selected by Iran’s national committee as the country’s representative for the 2026 Academy Awards. The unanimous decision underscores the film’s artistic significance and its growing recognition on the global stage.
According to an announcement by the Farabi Cinema Foundation, the selection committee—after reviewing a wide range of submissions—unanimously chose Cause of Death: Unknown as Iran’s official entry to the Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. This milestone further strengthens the international journey of a film already celebrated at festivals around the world.
Earlier this month, the selection committee had shortlisted five titles from among 84 eligible works: Old Boy, Reha, Woman and Child, Call Me Beautiful, and Cause of Death: Unknown. Following in-depth deliberations, the committee designated Zarnegar’s film as the final choice to represent Iranian cinema at the 2026 Oscars.
The film features a distinguished ensemble cast, including Banipal Shoomoon, Alireza Sanifar, Neda Jebreili, Ali-Mohammad Radmanesh, Zakieh Behbahani, Reza Amoozaad, Soheil Bavi, Saeed Rezaeikia, Milad Moradi, Ahmad Dehghan-Rahimi, Mansour Ghani-Jahad, and Ashkan Ashouri.
Behind the scenes, Cause of Death: Unknown brings together a remarkable creative team: written and directed by Ali Zarnegar, produced by Majid Barzegar, with Pooyan Sadeghi as executive producer. The film’s cinematography is by Davood Malek, editing by Hamid Najafi-Rad, and sound design by Seyed Alireza Alavian. Additional contributions include production and costume design by Mohammadreza Mirzamahmoudi, sound recording by Saeed Bojnourdi (with thanks to Ali Zolfaghari), music by Isa Habibzadeh, makeup design by Mohammadreza Ghomi, and color grading by Hamidreza Fotourehchian.
The crew further includes script supervisor Maral Fathi, production coordinators Siavash Ramezanlou and Omid Rad, first assistant directors Siavash Ramezanlou and Ehsan Shiri, photography by Payam Sadeghi, poster design by Nasim Gorji, associate producer Mehdi Barzegar, production management by Mohammad Jafari, and publicity direction by Naghmeh Danesh-Ashtiani.
This announcement marks a historic moment for Cause of Death: Unknown. Having already garnered international acclaim—including multiple awards such as Best Cinematography at the Shanghai International Film Festival—the film is now set to take its place on the world’s most prestigious stage.
For Raft Films, the company representing the film internationally, this selection reaffirms the power of bold independent cinema to cross borders, challenge perceptions, and spark meaningful dialogue worldwide.
Cause of Death: Unknown, written and directed by Ali Zarnegar and produced by Majid Barzegar, represents Iran at the 2026 Academy Awards and will compete in the Main Competition of the 11th Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) in Los Angeles. The film, set in Iran’s haunting Lut Desert, follows seven
The Iranian feature Cause of Death: Unknown, directed by Ali Zarnegar and produced by Majid Barzegar, has been officially selected as Iran’s submission for the 2026 Academy Awards. Represented internationally by Raft Films, the film has already won major prizes.
The Iranian drama Cause of Death: Unknown, directed by Ali Zarnegar, has officially been selected by Iran’s national committee as the country’s representative for the 2026 Academy Awards. The unanimous decision underscores the film’s artistic significance and its growing recognition on the global stage.
Every once in a while, a film rises beyond its plot and characters to hold up a mirror to an entire society. Cause of Death: Unknown, directed by Ali Zarnegar, is precisely such a work — not just a story, but an odyssey. Unfolding over the course of a night
