Belarus enters Foreign Language Film Oscar race first with Karlovy Vary premiere ‘Crystal Swan’
Belarus is the first country out of the gate to officially submit for the Foreign Language Film Oscar race for the 91st Academy Awards with Crystal Swan.
Crystal Swan takes place in 1990s Belarus, where a wanderlust young DJ (Alina Nasibullina) is derailed by a typo in a forged US Visa application, forcing her to a backwater village where she is determined to fake her way to the American dream. It is the feature film debut from Darya Zhuk and was written by Zhuk and Helga Landauer.
The film is the first FLF entry from the Eastern European nation in 22 years and only its third ever. It is the first for director Darya Zhuk. It premieres at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival tonight, Saturday, June 30th.
The last two years Switzerland has been the first country to announce. Keep an eye on my first Foreign Language Film Oscar predictions coming next week.
- Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ): ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘Hamnet’ Lead - December 22, 2025
- North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) Nominations - December 22, 2025
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) Awards: ‘One Battle After Another’ Named Best Film - December 21, 2025


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