Indian short films in the race for Oscars
Two Indian short films, Nocturnal Burger by Reema Maya and The Broken Table by Chintan Sarda, are vying for the best live-action short film nomination at the 96th Academy Awards. Maya's film delves into child abuse in Mumbai and has bagged 34 awards across film festivals. Sarda's film addresses Alzheimer's disease and is inspired by a real-life patient's story that the director came across.
Why does this story matter?
Nocturnal Burger has won many awards, including the Golden Chair at Kortfilmfestivalen/The Norwegian Short Film Festival in Norway. On the other hand, The Broken Table stars acclaimed stars Naseeruddin Shah and Rasika Dugal as the protagonists. It won an award at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival and is now looking at making its way through the Academy Awards shortlist.
Maya on 'Nocturnal Burger'
Nocturnal Burger is inspired by a real-life event that deeply impacted Maya. It explores abuse, trauma, fantasy, and escapism, highlighting the prevalence of sexual abuse in public spaces. A "coming-of-age film in the darkest sense," it's set on a rainy Mumbai night, capturing the transition between wanting to grow up too fast and then realizing what growing up truly entails.
Sarda on 'The Broken Table'
The Broken Table is a real story of an Alzheimer's patient who forgets daily that his wife is no more. Sarda aimed to portray a positive aspect of an Alzheimer's story, believing that memories or non-faulty neural connections don't solely define a person. Sarda said she hopes to challenge society's subconscious treatment of "advanced mental health patients as non-entities or just pity them."
India's Oscar journey
India has seen recent Oscar successes, including winning the documentary short category for The Elephant Whisperers, helmed by Kartiki Gonsalves, and backed by Guneet Monga. However, the nation has yet to secure a win in the live-action short category, with only two previous nominations. Both filmmakers said they hope their films will be viewed by enough Academy members and judged on their merits.
Here's the voting timeline
The Oscars voting timeline includes preliminary voting which will begin from December 14 and go on till December 18. Films that cut through the shortlist will be announced on December 21. The voting for nominations by the eligible members will take place between January 11 and January 16, 2024. After this, the final nominations for the Oscars will be announced on January 23, 2024.
