Australia has selected Gabrielle Brady’s Mongolian-language documentary The Wolves Always Come at Night as its submission for the best international feature category at the 2026 Academy Awards. Brady’s film will also run for consideration in the best documentary feature category.
Blending documentary and fiction, the film tells the story of Mongolian herders Davaasuren Dagvasuren and Otgonzaya Dashzeveg who make the difficult decision to leave their homelands after the arrival of a powerful and destructive sandstorm, a situation made worse by the climate crisis.
The Wolves Always Come premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival in the Platform Prize program, although there was drama at the festival after Davaasuren and Otgonzaya were denied visitor visas by the Canadian government. The film also screened in competition at the London Film Festival in 2024 and screened at Zurich Film Festival, IDFA, San Francisco International Film Festival, True/False and Sydney Film Festival.
The Wolves Always Come at Night is the world’s first co-production between Germany, Australia and Mongolia. Executive producers include Oscar-winner Dan Cogan, Deanne Weir, Stefanie Plattner, Alexander Wadouh, and Emma Hindley. The film received principal production investment from Screen Australia and significant private investment from Weir Anderson Films, alongside Storming Donkey Productions. The Wolves Always Come at Night was also financed with support from BBC Storyville, SWR Arte, and Madman Films. Cinephil is repping for worldwide sales.
Australia’s Oscar submissions are chosen by a committee of industry professionals selected by Screen Australia.
Despite English being the de facto national language of Australia, the country has been consistently submitting films into the best international feature film (formerly the best foreign language film) category at the Oscars since 1996. As of 2025, sixteen Australian films have been submitted including Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr’s Yolngu Matha and Gunwinggu language film Ten Canoes (2006); Warwick Thornton’s Warlpiri language film Samson and Delilah (2009) which was shortlisted; Kim Mordaunt’s Lao language film The Rocket (2013); and Bentley Dean and Martin Butler’s Nauvhal language film Tanna (2016), which was awarded an official nomination.
