"'Sound of Falling' is formally uncompromising, emotionally existential and artistically unique — without any parallel in German and international cinema," said the jury in charge of selecting the film that will represent Germany at the upcoming Academy Awards in the best international feature film category. The choice was announced on Thursday.

"Spanning a century, the film interweaves the lives of four women who struggle against confinement, violence and social constraints. A work of rare urgency, masterfully directed, poetic, universal, courageous, 'Sound of Falling' is a physical experience that resonates and burns itself into the memory," added the independent jury of experts appointed by German Films, the national information and promotion agency for German cinema.

The film, originally titled "In die Sonne schauen" in German, is set in a farm in the Altmark region, now part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It tells the story of four women from different eras — Alma (1910s), Erika (1940s), Angelika (1980s) and Nelly (2020s) — who are eerily connected through unspoken fears, repressed traumas and buried family secrets. A tragic event repeats itself on the farm, leading the boundaries between the past and the present to blur.

The film was selected among five titles submitted for consideration. The other works were "Amrum" by Fatih Akin, "Cranko" by Joachim A. Lang, "Riefenstahl" by Andres Veiel and "The Tiger" by Dennis Gansel.

A 'mesmerizing stunner' that conquered Cannes

"Sound of Falling" opened the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year, where it was awarded the Jury Prize, along with "Sirat" by Oliver Laxe.

Schilinski's drama was also acclaimed by festival critics; IndieWire described it as a "mesmerizing stunner," The Hollywood Reporter praised it as a "captivating, courageous portrait of womanhood," while Deadline noted that the "superb feature is a masterclass in ethereal, unnerving brilliance."

The filmmaker reacted to the selection for the Oscars by expressing her gratitude on behalf of the whole production team. "The film's journey so far — from winning the Jury Prize at this year's Festival de Cannes and now the joy of also representing Germany at the Oscars — shows us that it is worth believing in your artistic vision," said Schilinski in a press statement. "We hope that this film's visibility will lead to filmmakers experiencing more openness and support when they make efforts to explore new narrative paths."

Following its Cannes premiere, "Sound of Falling" was also featured at festivals in Shanghai, Karlovy Vary and different Australian events. It will have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival at the beginning of September and will hit theaters in Germany on August 28.

Path to the Oscars

Reacting to the news, "Sound of Falling" producers Maren Schmitt, Lucas Schmidt and Lasse Scharpen also noted the importance of having more female representation at the Oscars. As they pointed out in their statement, female directors have been nominated on only nine occasions for the award in the best director category.

But the entry does not necessarily mean the German film will land among the nominees.

Among all the international features that will have been submitted by October 1 this year, the Los Angeles-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will select 15 finalists that will be announced on December 16. The shortlist of final five nominees will be revealed on January 22, 2026.

The Academy Awards' definition of an international feature-length film is that it must have been produced outside the US and be predominantly in a non-English language. The submitted films must have been released in theaters in their respective countries between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025.

The last time a German film won the award was in 2023, with Edward Berger's "All Quiet on the Western Front," an anti-war epic based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque. It took home three other Oscars on top of the best international film accolade.

Edited by: Andreas Illmer