India's Oscar entry Koozhangal nominated for Film Independent Spirit Awards

PS Vinothraj's Koozhangal (Pebbles) has been nominated for the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards in the Best International Film category. The awards will take place on 6 March 2022, Santa Monica, California, United States. Produced by Vignesh Shivn and Nayanthara's home production, the film is India's official entry to the 2022 Academy Awards. 

Celebrating the nomination, Vignesh Shivn shared the news of the film's selection on his social media feed. 

The organizers select films with a budget of $22.5 million or less to feature in their competitive categories. Deadline.com quoted Film Independent president Josh Welsh, stating that a selection committee of 50 people went through 650 entries to pick the nominees. 

The category also comprises several internationally acclaimed films including Pedro Almodovar's Parallel Mothers, Juho Kuosmanen's Compartment No 6, Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car, Céline Sciamma's Petit Maman and Tatiana Huezo's Prayers For The Stolen. 

Koozhangal won the prestigious Hivos Tiger at the Rotterdam International Film Festival earlier this year. The film tells the story of a father and son who journey across a stark, arid landscape to reunite with the boy's mother.