• By Mabel Pais

What a wonderful way to ring in 2023!

India has made history as the first Asian song with ‘Naatu Naatu’ (film, ‘RRR’) winning the Golden Globe Award for BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE, SONGWRITER M.M. KEERAVAANI for 2022!

Further, films from India have been Shortlisted by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  (The 95th – ‘Oscars’) in three categories: Documentary Feature Film, International Feature Film and Music (Original Song).

The ten categories are Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound and Visual Effects.

The nominees for ‘The Oscars’ will be announced by The Academy on Tuesday, January 24 and the Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 12.

In the Documentary Feature film category, ‘All That Breathes’ has not only won several awards and recognitions at several film festivals and organizations (see poster) but was also shortlisted in the Documentary Feature Film category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

‘OSCAR’ SHORTLISTS

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

‘All That Breathes’

Dir/Co-Prod: Shaunak Sen l Co-Prods: Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer l 2022 l India/USA/UK l 1h 34m

In one of the world’s most populated cities, two brothers – Nadeem and Saud – devote their lives to the quixotic effort of protecting the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to the ecosystem of New Delhi that has been falling from  the sky at alarming rates. Amid environmental toxicity and social unrest, the ‘kite brothers’ spend day and night caring for the creatures in their makeshift avian basement hospital. Director Shaunak Sen (Cities of Sleep) explores the connection between the kites and the Muslim brothers who help them return to the skies, offering a mesmerizing chronicle of inter-species coexistence.

Gotham Film Awards, in presenting the Best Documentary Feature Award to Shaunak Sen commented – “a sublime mix of social issue focus and poetic artistry that embraces the interconnectedness of all living things in this portrait of a pair of Muslim brothers who tend to sick birds (primarily predatory kites) that fall from the polluted sky in New Delhi and are nursed to health in their small basement clinic.”

‘All That Breathes’ took the top prize for Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Feature Filmmaking as well as the award for Cinematography. 

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

‘Last Film Show’

Dir/Writ: Pan Nalin l Gujarati l 1h 51m

In the ‘Last Film Show,’ Samay, a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized. Against his father’s wishes, he returns to the cinema day after day to watch more films, and even befriends the projectionist, who, in exchange for his lunch box, lets him watch movies for free. He quickly figures out that stories become light, light becomes films, and films become dreams. Samay and his wild gang of friends move heaven and earth to catch and project light to achieve a 35mm film projection. But little do they know that soon they’ll be forced to make heartbreaking choices as an era is approaching to annihilate everything they love about their 35mm dreams…

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

“Nattu Nattu” (from film “RRR”)

Dir: S.S. Rajamouli l 2022 l India l Telugu w/Eng subs l 3h 2m

The music for “Naatu Naatu” is composed by M.M. Keeravani with Lyrics by Chandrabose.

From writer-director S. S. Rajamouli (Baahubali) comes the international blockbuster that has enchanted movie audiences of all ages with its jaw-dropping action sequences, swooning romantic intrigue, infectious musical numbers— including the sensation “Naatu Naatu”—and rousing central friendship between two pre-Independence revolutionaries, played by Telugu-language megastars Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao, Jr. (better known as Jr. NTR).

From an original story by V. Vijayendra Prasad, the historical action epic RRR (short for Rise, Roar, Revolt) follows the fictionalized paths of real-life freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao) as they come together in 1920s Delhi to battle the nefarious British Raj for the rescue of a kidnapped girl from Bheem’s tribe.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health & Wellness, Cuisine and Spirituality)