Why Does the Academy Award For ‘Best International Feature Film’ Still Remain Out of India’s Reach?
· Free Press Journal
After the nine-minute standing ovation at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section, hopes were high that Neeraj Ghaywan’s second directorial, Homebound, which made the shortlist of 15 at the 98th Academy Awards in ‘Best International Feature Film’ category, would bring home an Oscar. But the annual heartbreak for India continued as it was nudged out by entries from Tunisia, Norway, Spain, Brazil and France. So far, only three films — Mother India (58), Salaam Bombay (89) and Lagaan (2002) — have been nominated in this category.
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Jude Anthany Joseph whose 2023 Malayalam film, 2018: Everyone is a Hero, was India’s official entry, believes the primary reason the coveted statuette still eludes us is the timing. He recalls getting the news of the selection towards August-end, reaching Los Angeles on November 1 and kicking off the campaign in December. "But just when our film was picking up momentum, the long list was announced, on December 16, abruptly cutting short its run," he rues.
The writer-director met many filmmakers, including producers of the Armenian and Ukrainian films in contention and learnt they had started promotions in May with screenings at film festivals, theatrical releases across the world and celebrity shows in LA despite Ukraine being at war. Last year, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom became the first Bhutanese film to be nominated for the Oscars after 10 nominations and 20 awards at international festivals.
HomeboundWhile Jude is grateful to filmmakers SS Rajamouli, Pan Nalin, Guneet Monga and former president of the Film Federation of India (FFI), Ravi Kottarakara, for their guidance, he wishes our government would be more supportive with funds and networking contacts as an Oscar win is a national honour.
National Award-winning filmmaker, Parveen Morchhale, whose White Snow premiered at the Sao Paulo International Film Festival last year, was in competition at the Kolkata Film Festival and for the IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal in Goa, asserts that a small, independent film needs the backing of big production houses, studios and streaming giants. He points to Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, a co-production between Iran, France and Luxembourg, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
"Neon, an independent production company, acquired the film after the Cannes’ win and thereafter, it was the first Iranian film to be nominated for ‘Best Motion Picture—Drama’ at the Golden Globes. Now, it is in the running for the Oscars as France’s entry for ‘Best International Feature Film’ and also for ‘Best Original Screenplay’. Getting a big name on board ups a film’s chances," Morchchale advises, adding that winning the world’s numero uno award affects a country’s soft power and influences a whole generation of filmmakers. "Three Oscars in 10 years has changed Iran’s cinematic landscape."
In December 2007, when Mira Nair and Fox Searchlights were campaigning for The Namesake, Irrfan Khan had acknowledged how hard it is to get noticed in the West, more so at the Oscars, "There are so many contenders, so many excellent performances. Eventually, it’s how much noise you make."
The actor took centre-stage a year later when Slumdog Millionaire bagged eight Oscars, AR Rahman winning for ‘Best Original Score’ and ‘Best Original Song’ (with Gulzar), Resul Pookutty for ‘Best Sound Mixing’ (with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke). "It’s the triumph of our talent that we could break through in what is a very competitive world, without any resources, any pull or any kind of networking," Irrfan applauded.
Jude’s next film is about a ship which went missing in 1978 with 51 people on board. He plans to make it as a global film and is looking for production partners abroad as the long wait for closure and the pain of not knowing what happened to loved ones has a universal connect.
“We will wait for the official selection but also apply independently in general categories and start promotions way in advance. This film will definitely win us an Oscar,” Jude promises confidently.
Slumdog MillionaireHow do so many films enter the Oscar race?
Every year, there are a flurry of announcements of films being nominated for the Oscars. Dharmendra Mehra, General Secretary, Film Federation of India (FFI), explains that every country can nominate one film in the ‘Best International Film’ category. In India, the FFI appoints a jury of 17-18 who preview around 20-28 short-listed films, independently selecting one. The chairman of the jury then conveys the decision to the FFI who inform the filmmakers. Producers are charged approximately Rs 1 lakh plus GST to cover the cost of hosting the jury in a metro city (last year it was Kolkata), screenings and travel expenses.
"Filmmakers can also enter independently for a fee, but while the competition is between hundreds for the official entry, it’s in thousands in the general category and only few films, like RRR, backed by a financially strong production house can bear the huge expenditure of screening, networking and marketing the film globally and ensuring it grabs the eyeballs of Academy members in LA," Mehra warns, recalling how they had pooled in money to help the producer of the 2004 Marathi film Shwaas and still fallen short.
This year, Pushpa 2 was one of the many films that entered independently. The third highest-grossing Indian film failed to make the shortlist. “My personal opinion is that the cost factor, and the fact that world cinema is far more advanced both in content and technical finesse, is why we are falling short,” he concludes.
Academy Awards & India
Best International Feature Film: India, like other countries, can send one official entry each year, selected by the FFI. Homebound made the shortlist this year.
General/Technical and Craft categories: However, India’s entry is not restricted to this one category. Any feature film, with over 40 minutes runtime, can apply in any General Category (including Best Picture, Director or Actor/Actress, even Best International Feature Film) or any Technical & Craft category (e.g. Sound, Cinematography, Music) and across multiple categories, like RRR, Kantara—Chapter 1, The Disciple, Dashavatar, Mahavatar Narsimha did.
Eligibility criteria: "To be accepted by the Academy, films have to meet certain eligibility criteria. Importantly, they should be released between January 1 and December 31, with a paid theatrical release and a consecutive seven-day run in at least one of the six US metro areas — Los Angeles County, New York City, San Francesco Bay Area, Chicago, Maimi or Atlanta — within that calendar year," informs actor-filmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan.
“Short films and documentaries need to be screened at festivals with Oscar qualifying ratings and notch up a few wins there to be considered eligible."
Only after these criteria are met can a film be submitted for consideration after paying the registration fees, completing formal submission procedure and complying with Academy representation and inclusion standards.
Contention and nomination: "Once accepted by the Academy, the film is in contention and makers start campaigning for a nomination. It is reviewed by Academy members of specific categories who vote through ranked-choice ballots. All members vote for 'Best Picture' nominees," says Mahadevan.
A magic number (usually 1/6 of the voters) is required for a short-listed entry to make the final nomination list.
Merit awards conferred in 24 categories
Best Picture
Actor (Leading Role)
Actor (Supporting Role)
Actress (Leading Role)
Actress (Supporting Role)
Directing
Cinematography
Costume Design
Makeup and Hair Styling
Production Design
Film Editing
Sound
Visual Effects
Casting
Music (Original Score)
Music (Original Song)
International Feature Film
Animated Feature Film
Animated Short Film
Live Action Short Film
Documentary Feature Film
Documentary Short Film
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Writing (Original Screenplay)