An award-winning Iranian documentary about Gaza and the late photojournalist Fatemeh Hassouna is drawing major Oscar 2026 buzz after top-tier festival screenings and broad artistic solidarity.
An Iranian documentary, “Put your soul on your hand and walk”, directed by Sepideh Farsi, has surged into the conversation for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Documentary category after a high-profile festival run that included Cannes, Toronto, New York, and El Gouna, alongside prize wins at Reykjavík, Athens, Montreal, and El Gouna.
Running 110 minutes, the film chronicles the life of Palestinian photojournalist Fatemeh Hassouna, who was killed with nine members of her family in an airstrike on Gaza one day after the film’s Cannes selection was announced. The documentary has sparked widespread solidarity: over 350 artists including Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, and Javier Bardem signed an open letter condemning global silence over the violence in Gaza.
Farsi, who resides in France, describes the film as a window onto the ongoing tragedy, born of a year-long relationship with Hassouna that she calls “a miracle,” and calls for justice for the victims.