India out of Oscars 2024 race but film on Jharkhand gangrape case 'To Kill A Tiger' in the running for Best Documentary

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday, announced its shortlist of films in the running for the Oscars 2024. The list featured contenders in 10 categories, including best original song, documentary feature, international feature, original score, and visual effects and sound.

Sadly for India, it was not among the 15 international features advancing to the next round. The Malayalam survival drama 2018: Everyone is a Hero was chosen as India's official entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 96th Academy Awards. It lost out a post on the list to films like Jonathan Glazer’s 'The Zone of Interest' (United Kingdom), Tran Anh Hung’s 'The Taste of Things' (France), Lila Aviles’ 'Totem' (Mexico) and Aki Kaurismaki’s 'Fallen Leaves' (Finland), among many others.

While India finds itself out of the Oscar race, a powerful documentary, 'To Kill A Tiger', that delves into the harrowing incident of the Jharkhand gangrape case, has emerged as a strong contender in the Best Documentary category.


'To Kill A Tiger', directed by Toronto based documentary filmmaker Nisha Pahuja, sheds light on the disturbing events surrounding the gangrape of a 13-year-old girl in Jharkhand, bringing attention to the heinous crime and the aftermath that saw her parents facing an uphill battle to find justice.

The official synopsis reads, 'To Kill a Tiger charts the emotional journey of an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances. A father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.'

Filmmaker Nisha, expressed gratitude for the recognition in her Instagram stories. Sharing the happy news, she wrote, "Unbelievable! Pinching myself!'

Anjali Kumar, a member of the film's team wrote, 'Ok so I DEFINITELY didn’t have being shortlisted for an Oscar on my 2023 Bingo card but LFG!!!!! We are thrilled to share that TO KILL A TIGER has made the Oscar shortlist. We’re honoured to be included alongside 14 other incredible films. Thank you all for supporting this leg of our journey. But mostly, we thank Ranjit, Kiran and Jaganti for sharing their lives and their journey to justice with the world. I’m not crying YOU’RE CRYING #StandWithHer.'

Niraj Bhatia also shared the exciting news in a post that read, "THRILLED to share that To Kill a Tiger has made the Oscar shortlist. We're honoured to be included alongside 14 other incredible films. Thank you all for supporting this leg of our journey. But mostly, we thank Ranjit, Kiran and Jaganti for sharing their lives and their journey to justice with the world."

The documentary has garnered acclaim for its courage in confronting a challenging subject matter while maintaining a focus on advocacy and awareness.

Documentaries in the running to secure an Oscar nod include, '20 Days in Mariupol', 'American Symphony', 'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie', 'Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project', 'The Eternal Memory', 'A Still Small Voice' and 'Four Daughters'.

Some were surprised at the omission of 'Kokomo City', about the lives of Black trans sex workers, and 'Little Richard: I Am Everything'.

Final nominations in all categories will be announced on January 23, 2024.

The 96th Oscars will be held on March 10. It award show will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
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