From Corato's Cinemaless Streets to Hollywood: Paolo Strippoli's Film Will Represent Italy at the Oscars

The film "L'Estranea" by Apulian director Paolo Strippoli will represent Italy at the 99th edition of the Academy Awards, in the category dedicated to best international film. The decision comes from the Selection Committee established by Anica on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which voted on the film before a notary.

In the statement explaining the choice, it states that "L'Estranea" was awarded "because it is a new film, genre film, by a young author", appreciated by audiences and critics both in Italy and abroad. The film, coming from the Venice Festival and Toronto, will now have to pass the selection for the shortlist of the fifteen best international films, which will be announced on December 15, 2026. The possible nomination will arrive on January 21, 2027, while the final ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on March 14, 2027.

Who is Paolo Strippoli

Strippoli, 33 years old, was born and raised in Corato, a city in the Barese area which, according to reports from Corriere del Mezzogiorno, has not had a cinema for over a year. Here the director approached acting and cinema as a young man, before moving to Rome to study at Sapienza and the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.

"The province got inside me," he said in an interview cited by Corriere, explaining how his years in Corato influenced his cinema. "L'Estranea" is set in Bari and tells the story of a social environment that the director knows well: that of the bourgeoisie and small entrepreneurship in Apulia that grew between the Nineties and the Two Thousands. "It's the environment we were children in," Strippoli said speaking about the film's genesis together with screenwriter Salvatore De Chirico.

Before this recognition, Strippoli had already signed "A Classic Horror Story", "Piove" and "La valle dei sorrisi", building a personal filmography in the horror genre, which is infrequently explored in Italy.

Corato's Reaction

The mayor of Corato, Corrado De Benedittis, commented on the news speaking of a success that "fills" his fellow citizens with joy. De Benedittis recalled Strippoli's visit to the city last year, at the Alfieri cinema for the preview of "La valle dei sorrisi", and announced the intention to meet with him to plan initiatives that could revive film programming in Corato.