Oscars 2025: Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' Misses Out, 'Emilia Pérez' Picks Up 13 Nominations
There is going to be Indian representation at the Oscars 2025 as 'Anuja,' a film backed by Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, has garnered a nomination in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
Filmmaker Payal Kapadia's globally-acclaimed drama All We Imagine As Light missed out on being nominated at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences announced the final nominations on Thursday.
Hollywood stars Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott revealed the nominations for the ceremony, which was delayed this month due to the LA wildfires. While Emilia Pérez led the way with 13 nominations, The Brutalist and Wicked picked up 10 each.
Read more | Oscars 2025: Netflix’s 'Anuja' Nominated For Best Live Action Short Film
The nominees for Best International Feature Film are I’m Still Here, The Girl with the Needle, Emilia Pérez, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and Flow.
But there is going to be Indian representation at the Oscars 2025 as Anuja, a film backed by Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, has garnered a nomination in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
Directed by Adam J. Graves and produced by Suchitra Mattai, it stars Sajda Pathan, Ananya Shanbhag and Nagesh Bhonsle, and will be released on Netflix soon. The synopsis reads, "The poignant story follows nine-year-old Anuja, played by Sajda Pathan, who works alongside her sister Palak (Ananya Shanbhag) at a garment factory in Delhi, India. When the bright Anuja is faced with a life-changing choice, the future of her family rests on her shoulders."
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The film is supported by producers Mindy Kaling and Guneet Monga Kapoor (Academy Award-winning documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers) as well as executive producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars for Best International Feature Film by the Film Federation of India (FFI), leading to some dispute as many believed All We Imagine As Light was a stronger contender; Laapataa Ladies did not make it to the Oscars shortlist.
Still, there was hope that All We Imagine As Light and Payal Kapadia could bag a nomination in the Original Screenplay, Best Director or Best Picture categories. The drama starred actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam, and followed the lives of two nurses living in Mumbai.
This comes days after the film bagged a nomination in the 'Best Film Not in the English Language' category at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2025, which will take place on February 16.
Ever since the film broke out at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, where Kapadia scripted history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the prestigious Grand Prix, All We Imagine As Light has been on a dream run, garnering global glory, nominations, and awards.
Though the film lost out at the Golden Globe Awards, where it was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director categories, All We Imagine As Light remained a favourite to land a prestigious Oscar nomination.
All We Imagine As Light also dominated the 2024 year-end lists of prestige publications across the world. The film has picked up top honours at the Gotham Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle, Toronto Film Critics Association, San Diego Film Critics Society, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and Chicago Film Critics Association among others.
Read more | ‘All We Imagine As Light’ Review: Payal Kapadia’s Sublime Love-Hate Letter To Mumbai
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will take place on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien for the first time.