Oscars 2023: When Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes won L'Oeil d'Or at Cannes

Filmmaker Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes has been nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category at the Oscars along with Fire of Love, Navalny, and All The Beauty And The Bloodshed and A House Made of Splinters. But, the Academy Award nomination is not the only feather in its hat. Earlier, Shaunak's film won the L'Oeil d'Or, Cannes Film Festival's top prize for documentary films. All That Breathes also won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022.

In 2022, All That Breathes was India's only entry at Cannes Film Festival and viewers really loved the concept during its special screening. While the film won a cash prize of 5000 euros, a jury member said in a note displayed on the L'Oeil d' website that "L'Oeil d'Or goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters. You can grab your camera, you can save a bird, you can hunt for some moments of stealing beauty, it matters. It’s an inspirational journey in observation of three Don Quijotes who may not save the whole world but do save their world."

Shaunak Sen's Oscar 2023 entry

Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes is competing with some crtically acclaimed titles at the 95th Academy Awards. This movie is about two brothers who have devoted their lives to save and protect the injured Black Kites from Delhi's poisonous air. In an interview with Hindustan Times, talking about his Oscar nomination, the director said, "For me, getting an Oscar nomination for the documentary means a great relief. The first thing it does is that it ensures more visibility (to the project)."

He further added, "It means that the project, which we thought was a small, possibly an arthouse kind of nonfiction piece, will now find far more viewership and a far bigger constituency than we could have ever really hoped for".