Paolo Strippoli’s "L’Estranea" is Italy’s Oscar entry

Paolo Strippoli’s "L’Estranea" has been selected to represent Italy at the 99th Academy Awards, in the Best International Feature Film category. The selection was made by the Selection Committee established by ANICA on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, comprising Giorgio Carlo Brugnoni, Cristina Comencini, Federica Lucisano, Francesco Melzi D’Eril and Niccolò Vivarelli. The film will now compete for a place on the shortlist of 15 international titles, to be announced on 15 December, whilst the nominations are due to be announced on 21 January 2027 and the Oscars ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on 14 March 2027. It was selected “because it is a new genre film by a young filmmaker – as stated in the jury’s statement – who has only recently begun his career and has been acclaimed by audiences and critics both nationally and internationally”.

Directed by Paolo Strippoli and co-written by the director and Salvatore De Chirico, "L’Estranea" is an Italian, French and Belgian horror thriller, due for release in cinemas on 8 October via 01 Distribution. The cast features well-known faces from the entertainment world, such as Jasmine Trinca, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Adriano Giannini and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. It was presented in competition at the latest Venice Film Festival, where – as we report here – Strippoli rejected the ‘horror’ label, although it is nonetheless difficult to pass the film off as the story of a middle-class family celebrating the success of their boutique. Strippoli stages this family drama almost entirely in broad daylight, and anyone familiar with horror literature can imagine how the tension builds.

“We welcome with great joy the selection of the film ‘L’estranea’ to represent Italy in the race for the Oscars.” This was stated in a press release by Paolo Del Brocco, managing director of Rai Cinema, who added that “it is a very significant achievement, coming at the end of a selection process in which numerous films with high-calibre directorial and production credentials took part”. Strippoli, Del Brocco emphasised, “is a young director who has already demonstrated a highly personal and recognisable voice, as well as great freedom in engaging with different narrative styles and forms. ‘L’estranea’ is a bold film, which uses the conventions of genre cinema to explore family ties, fears and the deepest vulnerabilities of the human condition”.