Rima Das' directorial Village Rockstars, an Assamese film, has been selected as India's official entry for Oscars 2019.
An all-India jury constituted by Film Federation of India (FFI) under the chairmanship of Kannada producer Rajendra Singh Babu made the announcement at a press conference here on Saturday.
Set in Rima’s own village of Chhaygaon in Assam, Village Rockstars is the story of a young girl who wants to buy a guitar and start a rock band. The 10-year-old has dreams of owning a guitar and also fights poverty and natural calamities in her village.
The film took over three years to make as it was shot entirely in natural light. While the film was allowed to take its course, Rima also kept the schedules of the kids in mind.
The lead character is played by one of Rima’s cousins, who Rima believes is just like she was when she was at the age. “I used to be just like her when I was growing up. I also used to be the only girl hanging around with the boys. I decided to incorporate that into the film as well,” Rima told TNM earlier.
As for the filmmaking process, Rima said that it was very instinctive. “I mostly go with my own instinct. When I started shooting, I filmed what I saw. I didn't plan much. Mostly, I tied the location with my characters and that's how I decided what shots I was going to take.”
The self-taught director had a small crew when she was shooting her previous film Man with the Binoculars, but for Village Rockstars, the only hand of support she had was that of a cousin, a college student. Indeed, when you watch the credit reel of Village Rockstars, the number of times Rima’s name appears is astonishing - apart from directing, she also donned the hat of writer, producer, cinematographer and editor.
The film, which had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and India premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival 2018, also won the Best Feature film Award at the 65th National Film Awards.
The 91st Academy Awards will be held on February 24, 2019.
(With IANS inputs)