Village Rocksters, which won four major awards at the 65th National Film Awards this year, is now India’s official entry for the 2019 Oscars. Rima Das’ Assamese film will be vying for a spot in the Best foreign Language film category nominations at the 91st Academy Awards.
Das, who is the director, writer, producer, editor and cinematographer of this feature film, took to Twitter to express her excitement, writing,”With tears of joy and a feeling of pride, I humbly accept this news. #VillageRockstars is India’s official entry for the #Oscars ! Let that sink in”.
Indeed. It is not everyday that a non-Bollywood film makes it to the Oscars now, does it?
The film, that was shot in the director’s native village, Chhaygaon, and stars her niece, Bhanita Das in the lead role, has been shown in over 70 film festivals across the world. The critically acclaimed coming-of-age cinema is about a 10-year-old girl living in a family of limited means, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming. All Dhunu wants is to start her own music band and own her own guitar.
Talking to the LiveMint about the film’s chances of becoming the fourth Indian film to ever get an Oscar nomination, Das said, “I have heard that we need a good promotion campaign. But I am a solo producer without any studio back-up, so it would be great if the governments of India and Assam understand my position and help.”
Village Rockstars beat tough competition from films like Nude, Pihu, Love Sonia, Raazi, Padmaavat, Padman etc.
