Switzerland picks Gaza documentary 'Who is Still Alive' for Oscars

Switzerland has selected Nicolas Wadimoff's Gaza documentary “Who is Still Alive” as its official submission for the best international feature category at the 2027 Academy Awards.

The documentary follows nine Palestinian refugees who escaped the violence in Gaza, recounting their experiences of survival, displacement and exile.

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Wadimoff adopts an experimental approach to telling their stories. On a bare stage marked with chalk outlines, the participants recreate moments from their escape from Gaza, with the visual setup drawing comparisons to Lars von Trier's “Dogville”.

“Who is Still Alive” premiered in the Venice Days section of the Venice Film Festival last year. Watermelon Pictures later acquired the film for US distribution, with its domestic release scheduled for later this year, while First Hand Films is handling international sales.

The film was produced by Wadimoff's Geneva-based Akka Films, in co-production with France's Easy Rider Films, Palestinian-Jordanian company Philistine Films, London's Cocoon Films and Swiss public broadcaster RTS Radio Télévision Suisse.

Watermelon Pictures was also involved with several films that featured prominently during last year's awards season. The distributor released Annemarie Jacir's “Palestine 36”, Palestine's official Oscar submission, and Cherien Dabis' “All That's Left of You”, which represented Jordan. It was also among the producers of Kaouther Ben Hania's Oscar-nominated “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, Tunisia's submission.

Documentaries have historically had a limited presence in the Academy's international feature category, although some have broken through in multiple races. Jonas Poher Rasmussen's animated documentary “Flee” received nominations for best documentary, best animated feature and best international feature in 2021.

Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov's “Honeyland”, meanwhile, became the first film from North Macedonia to receive an Oscar nomination in 2019.