The official entry of India in the Oscars 2024, ‘2018: Everyone is a Hero’ which was anticipated to win in the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards is no longer in contention. On Friday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the shortlisted films for the 2024 Oscars which includes the Jharkhand based documentary titled “To Kill a Tiger”.
‘2018’ and ’12th Fail’ out of Oscars race
The Malayalam film, 2018, dealt with the ravaging floods that befell the state in 2018 where many lost their lives. It was directed by Jude Anthony Joseph and starred Tovino Thomas. Prior to the 2018 film, Malayalam entries for the Oscars included Guru (1997), Adaminte Makan Abu (2011), and Jallikattu (2019), all selected as the official entries for the country. However, none of them were able to be shortlisted.
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Vikrant Massey’s “12th Fail” was also submitted as an Independent Nomination and is also reported to be out of the race. The film is directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and it centers around UPSC aspirants inspired by real life experiences. The film delves into the challenging journeys of numerous students facing the demanding UPSC entrance exam
The remaining contenders in the Best International Feature Film category include ‘The Promised Land’ from Denmark, ‘Perfect Days’ from Japan, and ‘The Zone of Interest’ from the UK.
‘To Kill a Tiger’ gets shortlisted
From India, the documentary by the Canadian documentary film maker Nisha Pahuja has been shortlisted in the best documentary category and deals with the Jharkhand based rape case where the young victim stood up to her attackers and the ruthless system. The film was executive produced by Mindy Kaling, Dev Patel and Rupi Kaur. The New York Times review of the documentary states, “To Kill a Tiger doesn’t offer any easy answers. But in staying close to Kiran’s father, who refuses to let his daughter bow her head, and to the girl, who speaks with hope and flinty confidence, one thing is clear: The revolution begins at home.”
It has been revealed that the girl in the film was initially supposed to be masked in the documentary post production but when Kiran (Pseudonym in the film) watched it, she wanted the character who played her to remain unmasked.
In most categories, Hollywood productions such as ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ take the lead, while India’s ‘2018,’ despite being officially selected in the Best International Feature Film category, did not make it to the list. The selection committee, chaired by filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli and consisting of 17 members officially submitted the film to the Oscars in September.
Oscars 2024
This time, the Oscars 2024 ceremony is scheduled to occur on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and it will be broadcast live on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel is set to return as the host for the event.
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