Why India needs a reality check as 'All We Imagine As Light' gets sidelined by Oscars committee

Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' may have won the coveted Grand Prix this year, but, despite the huge recognition it received from several corners, failed to be considered as India's official entry for the Oscars. There was high hopes, but it was also not selected as France's official Oscar entry, though the movie was co-produced by a French company Petit Chaos.
The move to choose Kiran Rao's 'Laapataa Ladies' sidelining the Cannes' second favourite 'All We Imagine As Light,' in India has met with a lot of skepticism from several corners. Many netizens claimed that Payal's film, which revolved around two Malayali nurses residing in cosmopolitan Mumbai, stood a better chance to win in the Best International Feature Film category, given its international exposure compared to 'Laapataa Ladies' and shared their disappointment with the Film Federation of India for overlooking this aspect.

A few filmmakers Onmanorama spoke to also echoed these sentiments, although, they appreciated Kiran Rao's movie 'Laapataa Ladies,' which dealt with two brides who get mixed up post marriage. Independent filmmaker Prasanth Vijay, who has also been on the selection committees for films at International Film Festival of Kerala and International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), said such debates occur whenever India has a strong contender for the Oscars. “In most cases, these debates happen when the Oscar committee fails to recognise an Indian film, which was already recognised globally like 'All We Imagine As Light' or it has good content to impress the European and American audience. ( A case in point are films like Monsoon Wedding, Lunchbox),” he said.

He alleged that the selection process for the Oscars in India is often flawed, which is why the Film Federation of India often gets criticised during the selection procedure. “The selection committee for the Oscars, which comprises 10 to 15 jury members, functions as an ordinary committee, which is a huge drawback for the country. We need a selection committee, which is well aware of the Oscars selection process, what the competition is about and what the international jury is looking for. This can only be mitigated if a few international experts who are well aware of the process is included in the committee,” he said.

'Adaminte Makan Abu' director Salim Ahamed, whose film was also selected as India's official entry to the Oscars from India in '2011' in the Best Foreign Film Category, said movies that are part of prestigious film festivals stand a better chance to win at the Oscars. “The Iranian film 'A Separation' by Agshar Farhadi, which won the Best Foreign Film that year, had a great run at several film festivals, unlike our film, which was relatively unknown in the international circuit,” he said.

Film director Sanju Surendran also spoke to Onmanorama about the selection of movies for the Oscars. He noted that the decision is highly subjective and emphasized the need to respect the jury. However, he pointed out a significant issue: "When you look at the jury members, there are usually 9-10 members, and often there are no women among them. There is a problem with gender representation, and there is also a lack of acclaimed filmmakers in the jury. These two issues have stood out to me."
Regarding international audience appeal, he stated that All We Imagine as Light definitely had a better chance, especially considering that last year the same film (Zone of Interest), which won the Cannes Grand Prix, went on to win the Oscar for Best International Feature.
Surendran added that for Oscars, the production must be robust. "You need to go to Hollywood, conduct screenings, network, and engage in PR marketing. All of these elements are crucial for success at the Oscars. Kiran Rao's production is quite strong in that regard," he said.

The Film Federation of India has also drawn flak for its citation regarding 'Laapataa Ladies'.“Indian women are a strange mixture of submission and dominance...shows you that women can happily desire to be home makers as well as rebel and be entrepreneurially inclined,” it stated.