After Effects cannot read SMB files when the path contains Icelandic characters on macOS Golden Gate beta

I have found a reproducible After Effects file-import problem when using an SMB network volume on the macOS Golden Gate beta.

When I try to import a PNG file from a network path containing Icelandic characters, After Effects displays:

After Effects error: File exists but couldn't be open for reading (3 :: 0)

Example failing path:

/Volumes/markadsdeild/Markadsdeild/Sjónvarp/06 On-Air grafík/01 SÝN/Vatnsmerki/01 Renders/01 Taka 2/01 Hvítt/Syn-vatnsmerki-hvitt_00025.png

The file is visible in Finder and can be copied to my local Desktop. After copying it locally, After Effects imports it successfully.

I also tested the same file on the same network volume using an ASCII-only folder and filename:

/Volumes/markadsdeild/AE_test/test_00025.png

That version imports successfully into After Effects.

This suggests that After Effects may be encountering a path or Unicode-normalization problem when accessing files through an SMB volume. The problem appears to involve Icelandic characters such as í, ó, ý, and æ, rather than the file format itself.

I have granted After Effects Full Disk Access in macOS, but this did not resolve the issue. The issue may be related to the interaction between After Effects, the macOS Golden Gate beta, and SMB paths containing non-ASCII characters.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Use macOS Golden Gate beta.
2. Mount an SMB network volume.
3. Navigate to a folder path containing Icelandic characters.
4. Import a PNG or other media file from that location into After Effects.
5. Observe the (3 :: 0) error.
6. Copy the same file to the local Desktop and import it successfully.
7. Alternatively, copy it to an ASCII-only folder on the same network volume and import it successfully.

The same network location is accessible to coworkers using different macOS versions, so this may be specific to the current macOS beta, the After Effects beta, or their interaction.

System information:

Mac model: MacBook Pro 16” M3 Max 36 GB

macOS version/build: Version 27.0 Beta (26A5425a)

After Effects version/build: Version 26.3.0 (Build 87)

Network protocol: SMB

Please investigate how After Effects resolves and opens media paths containing Unicode characters on SMB-mounted volumes.