Three Indian films have been nominated for the 2023 Oscars in their respective categories, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday. SS Rajamouli’s RRR earned a place among the best original songs of the year thanks to its energetic dance track “Naatu Naatu.” Meanwhile, the Pan Nalin-directed Chhello Show – India’s official selection for the Oscars – failed to make the Best International Film category. Even Park Chan-wook’s subtly erotic mystery film Decision to Leave was snubbed in the objective category. The 95th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 12th.
As mentioned, Indian productions claimed two more nominations in the documentary segments. The first is Anything that breathes, a New Delhi-based documentary film directed by Shaunak Sen that follows two brothers who have devoted their lives to treating injured birds amid the region’s worsening air pollution. It was among the top 15 films to make it to the US Academy Shortlist, after surviving a tough competition against 143 others. Nevertheless, Anything that breathes has not yet secured a release in India. It was nominated in the “Best Documentary” category, among others Navalny – a story exploring Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s near-death experience with an assassination attempt and beyond.
Kartiki Gonsalves’ The Elephant Whisperers also received a nomination for Best Documentary Short. In it, we trace the everyday life of an elderly couple who dedicated their lives to caring for a baby elephant and eventually formed a family bond. The 41-minute documentary is available now Netflix.
Here is the complete Oscars 2023 Original Song, Documentary, and Documentary Short Nomination List:
Oscar 2023 Original Song nominees
“Applause”, Say It Like a Woman – music and lyrics by Diane Warren
“Hold my hand,” Top Gun: Maverick — Music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
“lift me up” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Text by Tems and Ryan Coogler
“Naatu Naatu”, RRR — music by MM Keeravaani; Lyrics by Chandrabose
“That’s a life,” Everything everywhere at once — Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Text by Ryan Lott and David Byrne
2023 Oscars nominees for Documentary Films
Anything that breathesShaunak Sr
All the beauty and bloodshed, Laura Poitras
Fire of Love, Sara Dosa
A House of Splinters, Simon Lereng Wilmont
NavalnyDaniel Roher
Oscar 2023 Documentary Short nominee
The Elephant WhisperersKartiki Gonsalves
Haulout, Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
How do you measure a year?, Jay Rosenblatt
The Martha Mitchell Effect, Anne Alvergue
Stranger at the Gate, Joshua Seftel
