All 2026 Films Having One-Week, Awards-Qualifying Theatrical Runs

by · The Film Stage

As we get closer to the end of 2026 and various critics and voting bodies collate their year-end lists and ballots, the question of what is eligible for such selection often crops up. It’s become common practice for distributors to give a quiet, one-week awards-qualifying run divorced from the standard promotion a theatrical rollout will earn, instead saving that for a window early the following year.

To help keep better track of these releases, we have an annual feature detailing films designated in this category. As we begin our year-end coverage, here at The Film Stage we consider any film that receives a one-week qualifying run in a U.S. theater to be a release in that year, so expect a number of these to be featured soon.

Check out the list below, featuring films in alphabetical order, noting the start date of the one-week run, location, and 2027 release window where available. If you are a reader and spot a film getting a quiet awards-qualifying run or a distributor that would like your film to be considered for this list, reach out to editors@thefilmstage.com or @TheFilmStage.

  • Ashima (Nov. 27 at LA’s Laemmle Royal)
  • Bedford Park (Dec. 11 at LA’s Laemmle NoHo 7; opens March 7)
  • The Beloved (TBD)
  • Bunker (Dec. 11; opens Jan. 15)
  • Clarissa (Dec. 11)
  • The Dads (Nov. 6 at LA’s Laemmle Monica)
  • The Dreamed Adventure (TBD)
  • Everybody Digs Bill Evans (Dec. 4 at NYC’s Quad Cinema; opens Jan. 9)
  • Everytime (Nov. 6 at NYC’s Film at Lincoln Center; opens in Feb.)
  • Hell’s Army (Nov. 20 at LA’s Laemmle Royal)
  • Iron Boy (Dec. TBD; opens Jan. 22)
  • Jane Elliot Against the World (Dec. 4 at LA’s Laemmle Royal)
  • The Last Dive (Oct. 30 at LA’s Laemmle Monica)
  • The Liberation (TBD; opens Jan. 8)
  • A Long Winter (Dec. 4; opens Jan. 22)
  • My Father and Qaddafi (Dec. 4 at LA’s Laemmle Royal)
  • A Place of Absence (Oct. 16 at NYC’s DCTV)
  • Rehearsals for a Revolution (Dec. TBD; opens Jan. 8)
  • Robert Richardson: The White Devil (Nov. 18 at LA’s Laemmle Monica)
  • The Secret Reading Club of Kabul (Nov. 18 in LA’s Laemmle Town Center)
  • Seized (Nov. 6 at NYC’s DCTV)
  • Tangles (Nov. 27 at NYC’s IFC Center; opens Jan. 15)
  • TUTU (Dec. 18 at LA’s Laemmle Town Center)
  • We’re Nothing at All (Oct. 16)
  • Who Is Still Alive (Nov. 27 at NYC’s Cinema Village)

While these aren’t qualifying runs, here are a handful of films getting limited runs beginning in late December and will expand through January:

Be sure to bookmark this page as we’ll update with new qualifying runs and late-December releases when announced.