Kazakhstan nominates the film “Cadet” for the Oscars
Kazakhstan’s Oscar Committee has completed the national selection of films to participate in the Academy Awards, which will take place in 2026. By majority vote, the feature film Cadet directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov was chosen to represent the country in the category of Best International Feature Film, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The film was produced by Tiger Films in 2024. Its world premiere took place on November 1, 2024, at the Tokyo International Film Festival. In Kazakhstan, the film was released in cinemas on January 2, 2025. The European premiere of Cadet was held at the Berlin International Film Festival in the Forum section in February 2025. The film was also screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and at SXSW London, where it had its UK premiere.
Director Adilkhan Yerzhanov shared via his Instagram account that many companies had initially rejected the script, considering it too dark and too auteur. However, Cadet not only recouped its modest budget at the box office but also built a strong festival journey. “Our audience wants different kinds of cinema. Our genres are evolving,” the filmmaker emphasized.
Yerzhanov expressed gratitude to the national committee, colleagues, partners, and production company, as well as everyone who supported the project. He gave special thanks to director Akan Satayev, who advised him to bring the script to Tiger Films.
Earlier, director Aktan Arym Kubat's feature film "Kara Kyzyl Sary" has been selected as Kyrgyzstan's official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards.