Malayalam film Jallikattu, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, is out of the 2021 Oscar race. Jallikattu was India's official entry to the Oscars under the Best International Feature Film category, but has now failed to make it to the longer short list of 15 films in the same category.
Feature films from 93 countries were eligible under this category. The films that have made it to the longer shortlist include:
Quo Vadis, Aida? from Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Mole Agent from Chile
Charlatan from the Czech Republic
Another Round from Denmark
Two of us from France
La Llorana from Gautemala
Better Days from Hong Kong
Sun Children from Iran
Night of the Kings from Ivory Coast
I'm No Longer Here from Mexico
Hope from Norway
Collective from Romania
Dear Comrades from Russia
A Sun from Taiwan
The Man Who Sold His Skin from Tunisia
Starring Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad and Santhy Balachandran, among others, Jallikattu is a tale about a buffalo that breaks loose and a village's attempt to capture it. The film is also an allegory on human civilisation and how easily social structures can crumble in the face of these base instincts.
Lijo Jose has also directed critically acclaimed films such as Amen, Angamaly Diaries and Ee.Ma.Yau. Written by S Hareesh and R Jayakumar, Jallikattu is based on a short story - Maoist - written by Hareesh. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2019 and was later released in India.
Movies such as Indian, Newton, Barfi, and Peepli Live have been submitted for nominations in the previous years.
So far, no Indian film has won the Academy Award in the Best International Feature category. Only three films have even received a nomination – Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay (1988) and Lagaan (2001) – all of them in Hindi.