Lijo Jose Pellisserry’s Jallikattu, which was India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Category at the 93rd Academy Awards, is out of the Oscar race. Based on a short story titled Maoist by S Hareesh, the film is about a buffalo that breaks free from a slaughterhouse and a village’s attempt to capture it. The film had its premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and received critical acclaim.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday that the film is not part of the shortlist of 15 features that will be competing for a spot in the final five. This year, films from 93 countries were eligible in the category. Those shortlisted for The Best International Feature film are: Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina) The Mole Agent (Chile), Charlatan (Czech Republic), Another Round (Denmark), Two of Us (France), La Llorona (Guatemala), Better Days (Hong Kong), Sun Children (Iran), Night of the Kings (Ivory Coast), I’m No Longer Here (Mexico), Hope (Norway), Collective (Romania), Dear Comrades! (Russia), and A Sun (Taiwan). The final nominations will be announced on March 15.
No Indian film has ever won an Oscar. The last Indian film that made it to the final five in the Best International Feature category was Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan (2001). Mother India (1958) and Salaam Bombay (1989) were the other two Indian movies to have made it to the top five. Last year, the Film Federation of India picked Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy for the 2020 Oscars.
The 93rd Academy Awards, which were postponed from their usual February date due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held on April 25.
