Three films from India are part of several shortlists for the 2023 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday. The energetic dance song “Naatu Naatu”, from S.S. Rajamouli’s action-packed affair RRR, is contending for a place in the Best Original Song category. India’s International Feature Film entry this year is the Pan Nalin-directed Chhello Show / The Last Film Show, which goes up against the likes of Joyland, a first-ever nomination for Pakistan. AMPAS has unveiled shortlists for the 2023 Oscars in 10 categories, whose entries will be cut down to five or six, with all the other nominees that will be revealed on January 24, 2023. The 95th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 12, 2023.
The third Indian film to get a mention is All That Breathes, a New Delhi-set documentary from Shaunak Sen that explores two brothers who dedicate their lives to treating injured birds. All That Breathes has also been shortlisted in the Best Documentary Feature Film category. It is among the top 15 films to make it to the Academy’s list, after surviving tough competition against 143 others. All That Breathes hasn’t secured an India release yet.
Films from 92 countries and regions were eligible for the International Feature Film shortlist, after meeting a “minimum viewing requirement” to be eligible to vote. In the nominations round, Academy members will be required to watch all 15 films, before deciding on their nominations for the grand Oscars event.
Set in the backdrops of a Gujarati village, Chhello Show explores the childhood innocence of a nine-year-old boy, who gets captivated by the magic of cinema during one summer, inspiring him to create one of his own — unaware of the heartbreaking times that await him. The film is currently available to watch on Netflix in Gujarati-language, alongside a Hindi dub.
India’s neighbour Pakistan also has an entry in the International Feature Film shortlist — Joyland. In it, a patriarchal family’s dreams of a baby boy’s birth are shattered, when their youngest son falls for a transgender starlet. Joyland is the first Pakistani film to premiere at Cannes Film Festival. It released in mid-November in Pakistan, but has yet to land a date in India.
Here are the shortlists for International Feature Film, Original Song, and Documentary Feature in full — in alphabetic order.
2023 Oscars International Feature Film shortlist
- Argentina, Argentina, 1985
- Austria, Corsage
- Belgium, Close
- Cambodia, Return to Seoul
- Denmark, Holy Spider
- France, Saint Omer
- Germany, All Quiet on the Western Front
- India, Last Film Show
- Ireland, The Quiet Girl
- Mexico, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
- Morocco, The Blue Caftan
- Pakistan, Joyland
- Poland, EO
- South Korea, Decision to Leave
- Sweden, Cairo Conspiracy
2023 Oscars Music (Original Song) shortlist
- “Time” from Amsterdam
- “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water
- “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once
- “Ciao Papa” from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
- “Til You’re Home” from A Man Called Otto
- “Naatu Naatu” from RRR
- “My Mind & Me” from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
- “Good Afternoon” from Spirited
- “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman
- “Stand Up” from Till
- “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick
- “Dust & Ash” from The Voice of Dust and Ash
- “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing
- “New Body Rhumba” from White Noise
2023 Oscars Documentary Feature Film shortlist
- All That Breathes
- All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
- Bad Axe
- Children of the Mist
- Descendant
- Fire of Love
- Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
- Hidden Letters
- A House Made of Splinters
- The Janes
- Last Flight Home
- Moonage Daydream
- Navalny
- Retrograde
- The Territory
The seven other 2023 Oscars shortlists announced Wednesday include Documentary Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Animated Short Film, Live-Action Short Film, Sound, and Visual Effects. Key contenders include All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Don’t Worry Darling, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Nope, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Top Gun: Maverick. Additionally, Matt Reeves’ The Batman has been shortlisted in three categories — Visual Effects, Sound, and Makeup and Hairstyling.
The nominees for all other Oscars 2023 categories will be directly announced on January 24, 2023.
