Oct 19, 2026 11:00pm IST
From ‘La Bola Negra’ to ‘You Can See Everything,’ These Festival Films Are Generating Massive Oscar Buzz
With the fall film festival season on in full swing, and the Oscars only five months away, some of the biggest winners and acclaimed titles of the 2026 film festival season are queuing up for their moment in the spotlight. From the current Oscar favorite, “La Bola Negra,” to Nathan Fielder’s documentary “You Can See Everything,” which has critics and audiences raving, here are the buzziest films to keep an eye on from the festival circuit.
La Bola Negra (The Black Ball)
Ever since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (where it won for Best Director), Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s queer epic has generated a buzz that pits it against “The Odyssey” for the Best Picture Oscar. It stars Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Lola Dueñas, Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. The film chronicles the interconnected lives of three men across Spanish history, shaped by their sexuality, desires and trauma.
You Can See Everything
Nathan Fielder’s awkwardness and deadpan comedy reach a zenith with “You Can See Everything,” which he co-directed with Primetime filmmaker Lance Oppenheim. The documentary follows the last month before health tech company Theranos co-founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was to begin her prison term for defrauding investors. After a secret premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and screening at the New York Film Festival (NYFF), the A24 film had a limited international release in theaters (not in India) on October 16. The reviews claim it is unlike anything seen before. Currently, the film holds the highest rating ever for a film across Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd and IMDb.
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Fjord
Directed by Cristian Mungiu, “Fjord” stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a couple living in a remote Norwegian village, whose adolescent daughter shows up to school with bruises. It launches a community-wide discourse on their strict parenting. “Fjord” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, receiving a 12-minute standing ovation, winning the Palme d’Or and several other honors and continuing both Stan and Reinsve’s streaks of delivering festival favorite films. After a theatrical release in Romania, it is also the country’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.
Artificial
Imagine premiering at the New York Film Festival the same week as Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning” releases in theaters, and then being called the real spiritual sequel to “The Social Network.” Luca Guadagnino’s biographical comedy drama, “Artificial,” is about the 2023 firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with Andrew Garfield playing Altman and Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder who fired Altman. Early reviews position Garfield as a strong contender for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. “Artificial” is slated for a December 25 release in the United States.
Fatherland
Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski won the Best Director award (shared with Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for “La Bola Negra”) at the Cannes Film Festival for this biographical drama based on German novelist Thomas Mann and his actor-writer daughter, Erika Mann, taking a road trip across Germany in 1949. “Anatomy of Fall” and “Project Hail Mary” actor Sandra Hüller plays Erika and Hanns Zischler plays her father, Thomas. “Fatherland” is shot entirely in black and white to highlight the post-World War II bleakness of Germany, for which cinematographer Łukasz Żal received much critical acclaim. The film is Poland’s official entry for the Oscars and begins a wider global theatrical release in October before ultimately streaming on MUBI.
The Debut
Premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, this is Jesse Eisenberg’s third feature film as a director, following “A Real Pain,” and it’s already generating Oscar buzz for its lead, actor Julianna Moore. “The Debut” is a musical comedy about a New Jersey homemaker who auditions for a fictional musical helmed by a “strong-willed” director and becomes consumed by the part. The film boasts a massive cast that includes Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey and Eisenberg himself, and is slated for a December release in theaters.
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NAZA
The name “NAZA” is derived from the Hebrew phrase “Nezek Agavi,” which translates to “collateral damage”. Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s documentary examines the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) use of AI and surveillance during their military operations in the Gaza genocide and features interviews that Abraham conducted in Tel Aviv with some 24 Israeli soldiers (only visible as silhouettes). The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was the only documentary in the main competition and won the Special Jury Prize. “NAZA” has not been allowed to release in Israel, and its makers face threats of their citizenship being revoked, as the IDF has called it a misrepresentation and manipulation of reality. However, the film has had a limited theatrical release in October across some countries, after which it will be available to stream freely on The Guardian’s website in November 2026.
Possible Love
The director of “Burning” (2018), the first South Korean film to be shortlisted for a Best International Feature Film Oscar, Lee Chang-dong won his second FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) prize for “Possible Love” at the Venice International Film Festival. And once again, his film, which also won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, is South Korea’s official foreign film entry to the Oscars. “Possible Love” is a drama about two married couples who cross paths during the making of a documentary, and the encounter begins unravelling their secrets, hidden desires and cracks in their lives. The film, starring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong, is currently on a limited theatrical run and will release internationally on Netflix on November 6.
I Play Rocky
This biographical drama set during the production of Sylvester Stallone’s 1976 film “Rocky” comes from Peter Farelly, director of the Oscar-winning film, “Green Book.” The buzz around the film comes from its lead, Anthony Ippolito’s striking resemblance to Stallone. Interestingly, the actor has previously portrayed Al Pacino in “The Offer,” the Paramount+ miniseries about the making of “The Godfather.” “I Play Rocky” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and received positive reviews from critics, who praised Ippolito’s performance. The cast also includes AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, P. J. Byrne, Stephan James, Jay Duplass, Robert Morgan, Matt Dillon and Tracy Letts. “I Play Rocky” is going to be a limited theatrical release in November.
Paper Tiger
From “Ad Astra” filmmaker James Gray arrives “Paper Tiger,” a crime drama about a suburban American family that finds itself involved with the Russian mob. The film stars Adam Driver and Miles Teller as two brothers, Gary and Irwin, and Scarlett Johansson as Irwin’s wife Pearl. “Paper Tiger” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or. Critics’ reviews have praised Gray’s direction, and the cast, particularly Driver, is the biggest appeal for audiences. The film will be released by NEON in November.
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