FURIES Selected as Lebanon’s Oscar Pick for 2027

Lebanon has selected FURIES, the debut fiction feature from Lebanese filmmaker Rami Kodeih, as its official entry for the 2027 Academy Awards in the International Feature Film category.

The Lebanese Ministry of Culture announced the selection on September 25, following the film’s world premiere at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival, where it screened in the Venice Spotlight section. It was also later selected as a Centrepiece title at TIFF 2026.

Set during Lebanon’s financial collapse, FURIES follows sisters Maro and Dalia after they are denied access to their savings. When Dalia needs life-saving surgery, the sisters decide to break into the bank holding their money and take back what they believe is rightfully theirs. They recruit an ex-militia member and a truck driver, but their plan quickly spirals out of control.

The premise comes from a very real place. Kodeih has said the film began with a message he and Mariana sent to a friend in 2019, after Lebanese banks began restricting access to depositors’ savings. Mariana herself needed surgery but could not access their money in the bank, eventually forcing her family to sell her grandfather’s house to cover the cost.

The 133-minute Lebanon–Brazil production stars Rym Mroue, Maria Nakouzi, Hasan Akil and Issam Bou Khaled, with Kodeih directing, co-writing and editing alongside co-writer Nora Mariana. RT Features and Nausika Films produced the film, with Smokehouse Pictures also involved.

The film has already had a strong festival run. Now, FURIES is officially in the running to take Lebanon’s story to the Oscars.

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