Malayalam blockbuster '2018-Everyone Is A Hero' starring Tovino Thomas was India's official entry in the Best International Film Feature category at Oscars 2024.
Oscars 2024 annual shortlist across ten categories was unveiled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on December 21. Malayalam film '2018-Everyone Is A Hero' starring Tovino Thomas was India's official entry in the Best International Film Feature category, but unfortunately, it is out of the race. '2018' director Jude Anthany Joseph has reacted to his film not making it to the Oscars shortlist.
On Friday, he shared a lengthy note on his Instagram handle with a screenshot of the 15 shortlisted films and apologised to his well-wishers and fans.
Jude Anthany Joseph greeted everyone and wrote, ''The Oscar shortlist has been unveiled, and regrettably, our film “2018- Everyone Is A Hero” did not secure a spot among the final 15 films out of the 88 international language films from across the globe. I sincerely apologize to all my well-wishers and supporters for disappointing you all.''
He added, ''Nevertheless, the opportunity to represent India in this competition has been a dream-like journey that I will cherish for a lifetime. Being the highest-grossing film and the official Indian entry to the Oscars is a rare achievement in any filmmaker’s career. I am grateful to God for choosing me for this extraordinary journey. My heartfelt thanks go to the producers, technicians, artists, and the audience for their tremendous support for our film. A special expression of gratitude to the Film Federation Of India, particularly Sir Ravi Kottarakkara, for their boundless support, love, and for selecting our film as India’s official entry.''
Jude also expressed his gratitude to all the Indian filmmakers who supported him on this journey. He mentioned Pan Nalin, Sidharth Roy Kapoor, Guneet Monga, Rintu Thomas, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Resul Pookkutty, Anurag Kashyap, and SS Rajamouli among others.
Towards the end of his post, he wrote, ''I express my gratitude to all my supporters in Los Angeles and eagerly anticipate the meetings that we have already scheduled. I extend my best wishes to all the finalists, with a special mention to Sol, my dear friend and the producer of the Armenian film. The inception of the next dream begins today, as the Oscars await, and I am poised to be present. Until we meet, dear Oscar'' and added red heart emojis.
'Barbie' has led the way with five shortlists. The final nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on January 23. The award ceremony will go live on March 10, 2024.