Oscars shortlist: Vikrant Massey starrer 12th Fail, India's official entry 2018 fails to make a cut

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled the shortlists for the 96th Oscars ceremony, stirring a mix of surprises and disappointments. Greta Gerwig's meta-comedy Barbie takes the lead with five mentions, but notable films like The Color Purple and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 failed to secure a spot.

Greta Gerwig's Barbie stands out with five shortlist mentions, including sound, original song, and original score. However, a surprising setback comes in the form of a snub in the makeup and hairstyling category. In a turn of events, The Color Purple and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 find themselves excluded from the shortlists. Instead, A24's eccentric Beau is Afraid and Universal Pictures' horror summer film The Last Voyage of the Demeter emerge as unexpected but intriguing inclusions.

2018 gets snubbed at Oscars

The disappointment extends beyond Hollywood, reaching Indian cinema. This year, India's official entry, Jude Anthany Joseph’s Malayalam disaster drama 2018: Everyone Is A Hero, failed to secure a spot among the shortlisted films for the International Feature Film category.

Despite being selected by the Film Federation of India to represent the country at the 96th Academy Awards, 2018: Everyone Is A Hero starring Tovino Thomas and Kunchacko Boban fell short. The film couldn't make it to the final nomination list by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This setback adds to the historical challenges Indian cinema faces in the international arena. The last film officially nominated from India and made it to the top five was Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan in 2001. Last year, Pan Nalin's Gujarati film Chhello Show was shortlisted but faced a similar fate.

Titles shortlisted for Oscars 2024

Documentary Feature

• “American Symphony”
• “Apolonia, Apolonia”
• “Beyond Utopia”
• “Bobi Wine: The People’s President”
• “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy”
• “The Eternal Memory”
• “Four Daughters”
• “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”
• “In the Rearview”
• “Stamped from the Beginning”
• “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
• “A Still Small Voice”
• “32 Sounds”
• “To Kill a Tiger”
• “20 Days in Mariupol”

Documentary Short Subject

• “The ABCs of Book Banning”
• “The Barber of Little Rock”
• “Bear”
• “Between Earth & Sky”
• “Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games”
• “Camp Courage”
• “Deciding Vote”
• “How We Get Free”
• “If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis”
• “Island in Between”
• “The Last Repair Shop”
• “Last Song from Kabul”
• “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó”
• “Oasis”
• “Wings of Dust”

International Feature

• Armenia, “Amerikatsi”
• Bhutan, “The Monk and the Gun”
• Denmark, “The Promised Land”
• Finland, “Fallen Leaves”
• France, “The Taste of Things”
• Germany, “The Teachers’ Lounge”
• Iceland, “Godland”
• Italy, “Io Capitano”
• Japan, “Perfect Days”
• Mexico, “Totem”
• Morocco, “The Mother of All Lies”
• Spain, “Society of the Snow”
• Tunisia, “Four Daughters”
• Ukraine, “20 Days in Mariupol”
• United Kingdom, “The Zone of Interest”

Makeup and Hairstyling

• “Beau Is Afraid”
• “Ferrari”
• “Golda”
• “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “The Last Voyage of the Demeter”
• “Maestro”
• “Napoleon”
• “Oppenheimer”
• “Poor Things”
• “Society of the Snow”

Sound

• “Barbie”
• “The Creator”
• “Ferrari”
• “The Killer”
• “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “Maestro”
• “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
• “Napoleon”
• “Oppenheimer”
• “The Zone of Interest”

Original Score

• “American Fiction”
• “American Symphony”
• “Barbie”
• “The Boy and the Heron”
• “The Color Purple”
• “Elemental”
• “The Holdovers”
• “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
• “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “Oppenheimer”
• “Poor Things”
• “Saltburn”
• “Society of the Snow”
• “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
• “The Zone of Interest”

Original Song

• “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”
• “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from “Asteroid City”
• “Dance The Night” from “Barbie”
• “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”
• “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
• “Keep It Movin’” from “The Color Purple”
• “Superpower (I)” from “The Color Purple”
• “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”
• “High Life” from “Flora and Son”
• “Meet In The Middle” from “Flora and Son”
• “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”
• “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “Quiet Eyes” from “Past Lives”
• “Road To Freedom” from “Rustin”
• “Am I Dreaming” from “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Animated Short Film

• “Boom”
• “Eeva”
• “Humo (Smoke)”
• “I’m Hip”
• “A Kind of Testament”
• “Koerkorter (Dog Apartment)”
• “Letter to a Pig”
• “Ninety-Five Senses”
• “Once Upon a Studio”
• “Our Uniform”
• “Pachyderme”
• “Pete”
• “27”
• “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”
• “Wild Summon”

Live Action Short Film

• “The After”
• “The Anne Frank Gift Shop”
• “An Avocado Pit”
• “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles”
• “Dead Cat”
• “Good Boy”
• “Invincible”
• “Invisible Border”
• “Knight of Fortune”
• “The One Note Man”
• “Red, White and Blue”
• “The Shepherd”
• “Strange Way of Life”
• “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

Visual Effects

• “The Creator”
• “Godzilla Minus One”
• “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
• “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
• “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
• “Napoleon”
• “Poor Things”
• “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”
• “Society of the Snow”
• “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”