• Last Film Show has been nominated for an Oscar.
• The film is nominated in the Best International Film category.
• RRR, another Indian film, is still on the wishlist for nominations.

The Gujarati film Chhello Show, dubbed Last Film Show in English, has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best International Film category. RRR, another Indian film, is still on the wishlist for nominations in several categories.

The shortlist for the foreign film category includes 15 films, including Alejandro González Iárritu’s Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths and Holy Spider (Denmark), All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Saint Omer (France), Corsage (Austria), EO (Poland), Return to Seoul (Cambodia), Decision to Leave (South Korea), Close (Belgium), and Argentina, 1985. (Argentina). Pakistan’s Joyland is their first film to be nominated in the category.

Last Film Show, directed by Pan Nalin, is a coming-of-age drama starring Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval, and Paresh Mehta. Rahul Koli, a child actor, died of cancer in October.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the shortlists for the 95th Academy Awards on Wednesday, including documentary feature, international cinema, makeup and hairstyling, soundtrack, original song, sound, visual effects, and shorts. On January 24, nominations for all categories will be announced. The 95th Academy Awards will be place on March 12.

The director of The Last Film Show previously stated about the film being India’s official entry for the Oscars, “I was speechless and surprised. There was so much hype about a lot of other films like every year when there’s the Oscar season. I was focussing on holding screenings and previews, with just one wish, to make maximum people see the movie. We were trying to figure out a way to translate the success and popularity that the film got internationally in India, and get the attention, when this announcement was made, and it changed everything for us.”

On the film being picked for Oscars over RRR, he had said, “I was disappointed and disheartened that people were jumping to conclusions without watching it. I can’t even blame people, they have not seen the movie. We have done zero lobbying. We have sold the movie in the same way, to a studio in Japan. But for people it has to make commercial sense. Many of the people think whatever is most popular is going to get an Oscar.”