UK selects Pegah Ahangarani’s documentary for Oscar race

The United Kingdom has selected Pegah Ahangarani’s documentary, ‘Rehearsals For A Revolution’, as its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The film was chosen by a committee including representatives from BAFTA and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

The documentary explores over 40 years of Iranian history through Ahangarani’s personal experience of exile and the stories of her relatives and mentors. Utilizing personal archives, home videos, and protest footage, the film depicts a nation shaped by political repression and the hope for revolution.

Previously, the film won the ‘L’Oeil d’Or’ (Golden Eye) for best documentary at the Cannes Film Festival and has screened at the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals. Sony Pictures Classics will manage the film’s distribution, with qualifying runs scheduled for New York and Los Angeles in December, followed by a wider U.S. release in early 2027.