RRR’s Naatu Naatu, All That Breathes, The Elephant Whisperers 2023 Oscar Nominees: Details

Three Indian films have been nominated in their respective categories for the 2023 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday. SS Rajamouli’s RRR secured a place among the best original song of the year, thanks to its energetic dance track “Naatu Naatu”. Meanwhile, the Pan Nalin-directed Chhello Show – India’s official selection for the Oscars – was not shortlisted for best international feature film. Even Park Chan-wook’s subtly erotic mystery film Decision to Leave was objectively snubbed in the category. The 95th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 12.

As mentioned, Indian productions picked up two more nominations in documentary segments. The first is All That Breathes, a documentary by Shaunak Sen shot in New Delhi, which follows two brothers who have dedicated their lives to caring for injured birds amid degrading levels of air pollution in the region. It was among the top 15 films to make the Academy’s shortlist, having survived fierce competition against 143 others. Despite this, All That Breathes has yet to get an Indian release. It was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category, among the likes of Navalny – a story that explores Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s near-death experience with an assassination attempt and beyond.

The Elephant Whisperers by Kartiki Gonsalves was also nominated for Best Documentary Short. It traces the daily life of an elderly couple who devoted their lives to caring for an elephant, eventually forming a family bond. The 41-minute documentary is now available on Netflix.

Here is the full list of 2023 Oscar nominees for Original Song, Documentary Feature and Documentary Short:

Oscars 2023 Original Song Nominees

“Applause”, Say It Like a Woman – Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren
“Hold My Hand”, Top Gun: Maverick – Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
“Lift Me Up”, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler
“Naatu Naatu”, RRR — Music by MM Keeravaani; Lyrics of Chandrabose
“This Is a Life”, Everything Everywhere, All At Once – Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyrics by Ryan Lott and David Byrne

2023 Oscar Feature Documentary Nominees

All That Breathes, Shaunak Sen
All Beauty and Bloodshed, Laura Poitras
Fire of Love, Sara Dosa
A House Made of Shards, Simon Lereng Wilmont
NavalnyDaniel Roher

2023 Oscar Short Documentary Nominees

The Elephant Whisperers, Kartiki Gonsalves
Haulout, Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
How do you measure a year?, Jay Rosenblatt
The Martha Mitchell Effect, Anne Alvergue
Stranger at the Gate, Joshua Seftel

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