These two Indian films are still in contention at Oscars 2024
Oscars statuettes kept in a line
Last year this time, SS Rajamouli's RRR was making waves and collecting awards at various international film awards. RRR's hit song Naatu Naatu eventually created history at the Oscars 2023 as it earned the Best Original Song award,making it the first song of an Indian film to earn such an accolade.
Nominations of 2024 Oscars will be announced on January 24, 2023 and two Indian films are still in contention this year.
Two Indian films in contention for the Best Film category?
Recently, the Academy announced that out of 321 feature films from across the globe that qualified for the upcoming Oscars, 265 of those films are eligible to make it as nominees in the Best Picture category.
Two of the most critically acclaimed Indian movies of 2023 – Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s heartrending drama 12th Failand the intense survival drama 2018 are part of the list of 265 films eligible for Oscars 2024.
Did they qualify for the International Feature Film category?
Many would recall that no Indian film was named in the recently announced 2024 Oscars Shortlist. But that was for the International Feature Film’ category. In fact, 2018 was India's official entry in this category this year and did not make the cut.
However, 2018 and 12th Fail are still eligible to compete for the Best PictureOscar category.
Oscar Shortlist: India official entry 2018: Everyone is a Hero out of the race
Does India stand a chance in the Best Film category?
Critics may say that the two Indian films do not stand a chance but technically they do. But considering the buzz and impact that films like Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Anatomy of a Fall have created in the past year and at the awards circuit, 12th Fail and 2018 will need a lot more to make it to the final cut,irrespective of the fact that both films were outstanding in their rights.
To make it to the final list of nominees, a film not only needs to be good but also proper campaigning. Stakeholders have to thoroughly market their project for the intended audience (Oscar Jury) and create a buzz months before the nominations are announced. RRR had marketed itself for months globally before it got noticed by the awards jury.
12th Fail and 2018, in that sense, have not been able to create similar buzz at the awards circuit.
