Canada has officially selected Geneviève Dulude-De Celles’ drama Nina Roza as its contender for Best International Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards. The announcement, made by Telefilm Canada on Tuesday, positions the 103-minute film - released domestically on April 24 - as the country’s flagship hope for Oscar glory. With a perfect 10/10 rating on TMDb, the movie has already stirred early awards-season buzz, though its path to the Dolby Theatre remains long and fiercely competitive.
The film tells the story of Mihail, a Bulgarian-born art expert who, three decades after fleeing his homeland, is dispatched to evaluate the work of an 8-year-old painter whose creations have gone viral online. What begins as a professional assignment quickly unravels into a personal reckoning. The young artist, played by Sofia Stanina (with twin sister Ekatarina Stanina doubling in select scenes), captures the attention of a major collector, portrayed by Christian Bégin. But as Mihail - brought to life by Galin Stoev - digs deeper into the girl’s world, he finds himself confronting the very ghosts he left behind. Chiara Caselli appears as Giulia Mancini, a figure from Mihail’s past, while Michelle Tzontchev, Mart Lachev, and Nikolay Mutafchiev round out the supporting cast in roles that anchor the story’s emotional and geographical terrain.
Dulude-De Celles, who has built a reputation for intimate, character-driven storytelling, co-wrote the screenplay and directed with a measured hand. The film weaves Bulgarian and Italian settings into a narrative that is less about the art market’s frenzy and more about the price of silence, distance, and homecoming. The collector’s interest in the young painter serves as a catalyst, but the real stakes lie in Mihail’s unresolved relationships and the choices that shaped his exile.
Canada’s pick arrives amid a crowded international field, with submissions from over 90 countries expected before the October deadline. The Academy’s shortlist for the category will be revealed in December, with nominations announced in January. While Nina Roza lacks the festival pedigree of some rivals - it did not premiere at Cannes, Venice, or Toronto - its strong critical reception and emotionally resonant premise could give it traction among voters, especially those drawn to humanist dramas about displacement and redemption.
The selection process itself was overseen by a committee of Canadian industry professionals, though Telefilm did not disclose the number of submissions considered this year. Past Canadian entries have ranged from Incendies to The Apprentice, with the country earning several nominations but no wins since The Barbarian Invasions took the prize in 2004. The last Canadian nominee was Vic+Flo Saw a Bear in 2014, which failed to make the final five. That history adds weight to Nina Roza’s selection - a choice that signals a preference for quiet, retrospective storytelling over more overt political statements.
Stoev’s performance has drawn particular attention, with early reviews praising his portrayal of a man whose professional detachment masks deep fragility. The Bulgarian actor, known for stage work in Sofia and appearances in European co-productions, delivers a restrained turn that anchors the film’s emotional core. The Stanina twins, meanwhile, bring an uncanny dual presence that director Dulude-De Celles reportedly used to subtle effect, emphasizing the girl’s shifting identity in the eyes of the adults around her.
For Canada, the submission also reflects a broader push to diversify its international candidates. Recent years saw the country put forward films from Quebec, Indigenous filmmakers, and the diaspora. Nina Roza, shot partly in Bulgaria, extends that reach, weaving a cross-border story that speaks to universal themes of migration and memory.
The Academy’s international feature category has grown increasingly unpredictable, with streaming-era tastes and global political currents shaping voters’ choices. A modest drama like Nina Roza will need strong critical advocacy and a robust awards campaign to stand out. But its early rating - an unusual 10/10 from TMDb users - suggests it has already connected with audiences who have seen it, a grassroots bump that could translate into word-of-mouth momentum.
For now, the film’s team is focusing on the fall festival circuit, with additional screenings planned in Vancouver and Toronto ahead of the December shortlist announcement. No major distribution deal for U.S. audiences has been unveiled, though the Oscar push typically accelerates such negotiations.
In a year where Canada’s cinematic output ranged from blockbuster-scale productions to intimate portraits, the choice of Nina Roza makes a quiet but firm statement: that the nation’s best international hope is a story about a man returning to a place he swore he’d never see again, only to find that the past never really left him. Whether Academy voters agree will be clear soon enough.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
