# International festival reception of L’estranea

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/international-festival-reception-of-lestranea
> Updated: 2026-09-26T17:00:39.000Z. Sources: 30. Developments: 4.

The Italian horror-thriller ‘L’estranea’ (The Spiral), directed by Paolo Strippoli, has gained significant international attention during its festival circuit. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a nine-minute standing ovation, and later won the First Runner-Up position for the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Following its festival success, an ANICA selection committee chose ‘L’estranea’ to represent Italy in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards (2027). Selected from a pool of 21 candidate films, the committee characterized the production as “a new, genre film by a young author, who has recently begun his journey and has been appreciated by national and international audiences.”

Filmed in the Puglia region with the involvement of the Apulia Film Commission and Dinamo Film, the movie features a cast including Jasmine Trinca, Adriano Giannini, Romana Maggiora Vergano, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. This selection is noted as a significant moment for Italian cinema, which has not seen a final five nominee since ‘Io capitano’ in 2023. The film is scheduled for Italian theatrical release on October 8. The Academy is expected to announce the 15-film shortlist on December 15, 2026, with final nominations following on January 21, 2027.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-26: L’estranea selected as Italy’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature

Paolo Strippoli’s film “L’estranea,” shot in Puglia, has been chosen to represent Italy in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lestranea-selected-as-italys-oscar-entry-for-best-international-feature

### 2026-09-23: L’Estranea selected to represent Italy at the 2027 Oscars

Paolo Strippoli’s “L’Estranea” has been chosen to represent Italy in the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

20 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lestranea-selected-as-italys-entry-for-2027-oscars

### 2026-09-21: L’Estranea wins Midnight Madness award at Toronto Film Festival

Paolo Strippoli’s film ‘L’Estranea’ has won the Midnight Madness First Runner-Up award at the Toronto International Film Festival, marking a major milestone for Italian cinema.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lestranea-wins-midnight-madness-award-at-toronto-film-festival

### 2026-09-07: Paolo Strippoli’s ‘L’estranea’ receives 9-minute ovation at Venice

Italian horror film ‘L’estranea’, directed by Paolo Strippoli, received a nine-minute standing ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/paolo-strippolis-lestranea-receives-9-minute-ovation-at-venice

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Cite as: International festival reception of L’estranea. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/international-festival-reception-of-lestranea