Rintu Thomas on Writing With Fire Academy Award nom: We are already thinking about what to wear at the Oscars

Filmmaker duo Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, who are also husband and wife, have had an incredible journey with their debut feature documentary, Writing With Fire and with the been nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards. This makes them the first wholesome Indian production to be ever nominated in this category.

The story follows a group of Dalit women in Uttar Pradesh, who are the founders of Khabar Lahariya, a newspaper that is the first of its kind in their country: one run entirely by women.

“I think it is so unbelievable and it is beyond words. It is history made. For Dalit women journalists to be at the centre of a story like this that has found such a huge resonance is beyond amazing. It is a huge moment for Indian films and cinema,” Thomas tells us.

Two documentaries set in India have previously won Oscars for Best Documentary Short – Smile Pinki and Period. End Of Sentence, but they were both international production and co-productions, respectively.

Talking about the story which traced the journey of these women Meera Devi, Suneeta Prajapati and Shyamkali Devi, armed with smartphones, wit and tenacity, who break traditions, be it on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues or within the confines of their homes, the filmmaker says, “We knew that the story has a huge impact. While it is a very specific story about a news outlet in India but it has got themes that speak to experiences and people all around the world.”

Before the Oscar nomination, Writing With Fire has already been winning awards all over the world including the Special Jury Award: Impact for Change and Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.

“When it opened at Sundance and won it told us that this film is powerful. It has travelled to 100 plus festivals, picked up 20 plus awards. Every time it went to a new place, people’s response was emotionally charged. That is the joy of non-fiction… when you reach out across the screen; you invite people to a world that is not theirs. There is a beautiful connection between the protagonists and the viewers,” Thomas explains.

But bagging an Oscar nomination is not easy as it is preceded by monetary charged big campaigns. However, for this film, the filmmakers did nothing of that sort due to lack of no backing of any big studio.

“It is an impossible task to get a nod because we are just this small Indian film but an Indian crew. So the only thing we could do was make sure that the Academy members watch the film because we knew that if they watch the film, it is going to get a response. Our only ask was just give us 90 minutes of your time and then you decide for yourself,” she says, while adding, “The top branch has been diversified in the last few years and you can see the impact of that where a tiny film gets nominated. When one of us opens that door it opens for everybody.”

Now Thomas and the team are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for a win at the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on March 27.

“We are all very excited. All the women are also excited. It is as much as ours as much it is theirs. We are already talking about what to wear at the ceremony. I can’t wait for all of us to be on the Oscars red carpet. I hope Covid does not play spoilsport,” she ends.

Oscar 2022 nominations are here…

Power of the Dog tops Oscar noms with 12

The Power of the Dog led nominations to the 94th Academy Awards with 12 nods, including best picture, best director and recognition for all of its top actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune followed closely behind with 10 nominations spread out largely in the technical categories. Other Best Picture nominees are Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza, King Richard, Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. India’s Jai Bhim, which was the only Tamil film among the 276 films eligible competing in the Best Picture category, failed to make the cut.

And there were some surprising snubs as well– Lady Gaga, star of House of Gucci, was overlooked in the Best Actress category, which saw Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), Penélope Cruz (Parallel Mothers), Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos) and Kristen Stewart (Spencer), bagging nods.

The Best Actor category feature Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick … Boom!), Will Smith (King Richard) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth).

Steven Spielberg, whose West Side Story landed seven nominations, became the first filmmaker nominated for Best Director in six different decades. His 11 best picture nominations are the most ever.

Beyonce got her first ever Oscar nomination for her Be Alive from King Richard in the Best Original Song category alongside Billie Eilishs No Time to Die theme song.

Bhutanse film Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom bagged a nomination in the Best International Feature list along with Drive My Car (Japan), Flee (Denmark), The Hand of God (Italy) and The Worst Person in the World (Norway).Afghanistan’s Three Songs For Benazir by Elizabeth and Gulistan Mirzaei, is nominated for the Best Documentary Short at the 94th Academy Awards.