After escaping the horrors and violence in Gaza, Nicolas Wadimoff’s documentary Who Is Still Alive gives nine Palestinians a platform to share their stories.  The documentary is Switzerland’s submission in the category of ‘Best International Feature’ at the 2027 Academy Awards.

The documentary feature takes a page from Lars von Trier’s Dogville.  As explained by Scott Roxborough of THR, “Wadimoff has the Palestinian refugees recreate the experiences of their escape from Gaza on a barren stage marked out by chalk outlines…”.

After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Watermelon Pictures purchased the rights for a U.S. release, while First Hand Films will be handling the film internationally.

“The documentary was produced by Wadimoff’s Geneva-based Akka Films in co-production with French group Easy Rider Films, the Palestinian/Jordanian Philistine Films and Cocoon Films out of London, along with Swiss public broadcaster RTS Radio Télévision Suisse.”

Last year’s Oscar shortlist featured two international documentaries stemming from Watermelon, one from Palestine and another from Jordan.  Jordan’s contender was Cherien Dabis’ All That’s Left of You, while Palestine’s was Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36.  The shortlist for the 2027 Academy Awards will be released by AMPAS on December 15, and will feature 15 entries.

The five official nominees will be announced on January 21, 2027, with all roads leading towards the 99th Academy Awards on March 14, 2027.