Writing With Fire makes Oscars shortlist for Best Documentary Feature

India's hopes for the Academy Award are still alive as the documentary Writing With Fire, directed by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, made the Oscars shortlist for Best Documentary Feature. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the shortlists in ten different categories, including Music (Original Score), Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film.

Unfortunately, the other Indian film aiming to get a nomination, PS Vinothraj’s Tamil feature Koozhangal, is out of the race for Best International Feature Film.

Rintu and Sushmit Ghosh, who have also edited and produced the documentary feature, have shed light on the fearless journalists of Khabar Lahariya, India’s only newspaper operated by Dalit women.

Writing With Fire, which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, was also recently nominated for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures at the 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards which increased its Oscar chances.

The film is among 15 features, including The First Wave, The Rescue, and Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), that will go ahead in the category; 138 films were eligible. The Academy members will cast their vote from 27 January to 1 February 2022. The final nominations will be unveiled on 8 February 2022.

The 94th Academy Awards will be held on 27 March 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.