Oscars 2025: Shahana Goswami Led Santosh Shortlisted In Best International Feature Film Category

Oscars 2025: The Academy unveiled the list of shortlisted films for the 97th edition of the awards. While India's official entry Laapataa Ladies did not make the cut, another Hindi film has found a place in the series of shortlisted films. The movie, led by Shahana Goswami, was submitted by the United Kingdom (UK).

Hindi Santosh makes it to Oscars 2025, but not from India

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Wednesday unveiled the names of the projects that are eligible for the Oscars 2025 race. Santosh, a Hindi-language international co-production set in rural north India, has found a spot in the Best International Feature Film category. A total of 15 films have been selected for the Oscar shortlist in this category out of 85 total films submitted by countries all around the world.

The United Kingdom sent the film as their official submission for the Academy Awards 2025. The movie also premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024 and was well-received by critics. Reacting to this "little glory", Shahana took to Instagram and expressed her happiness.

Shahana Goswami reacts to Santosh being shortlisted for Oscar 2025 

Taking to her Instagram account, the actress shared a snip of the Academy shortlist. She wrote in the caption, “So happy for the team especially our writer-director Sandhya Suri for this little glory of recognition for our film Santosh! How incredible to be shortlisted from amongst 85 films. Thank you to everyone who loved it, supported it and voted for it."

Directed by Sandhya Suri, the film stars Shahana as a driven young Hindu widow who inherits her husband's job as a police constable thanks to a government scheme. She finds herself caught up in institutional corruption even as she warms to working with rough-edged veteran detective Inspector Sharma (Sunita Rajwar) on a brutal murder case involving a teenage girl from the lower caste Dalit community.

Other fims eligible for Best International Feature at Oscars 2025 

The films that progressed to the next round in the International Feature category are the following:
Armand (IFC Films) from Norway
Dahomey (Mubi) from Senegal
Emilia Perez (Netflix) from France
Flow (Janus Films and Sideshow) from Latvia

From Ground Zero (No U.S. Distribution) from Palestine
The Girl With the Needle (Mubi) from Denmark
How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies (Well Go USA Entertainment) from Thailand
I'm Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) from Brazil
Kneecap (Sony Pictures Classics) from Ireland
Santosh (Metrograph Pictures) from the United Kingdom
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon) from Germany
Touch (Focus Features) from Iceland
Universal Language (Oscilloscope Laboratories) from Canada
Waves (No U.S. Distribution) from the Czech Republic
Vermiglio (Janus Films) from Italy

Oscar voting to determine the nominees in all 23 categories will start on Wednesday, January 8, and it will end on Sunday, January 12. Nominations will be announced on Friday, January 17.