Oscars 2022: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh looking at nominations (courtesy: @RintuThomas11)
Filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, whose documentary Writing With Fire has been nominated for an Oscar, erupted in joy when the announcement was made last evening, hugging each other and erupting with excitement. In a video tweeted by Rintu Thomas, the filmmakers can be seen announcing the Oscar nominees, apparently waiting with bated breath. Writing With Fire was the last of the five nominees to be announced for Best Documentary Feature and it sent Rintu, Sushmit and everyone watching along with them in a transport of joy. Rintu Thomas wrote in his tweet, “Oh my God!!!! Writing with Fire has just been nominated for @TheAcademy Award. Oh my God!!!!!!!! #OscarNoms #WritingWithFire.”
Oh dear me!!!! Writing With Fire has just been nominated for @TheAcademy Award. Oh dear me!!!!!!!! #OscarNoms#WritingWithFirepic.twitter.com/X9TlcCF2Xd
— Rintu Thomas (@RintuThomas11) February 8, 2022
Sharing an Instagram post, Sushmit Ghosh wrote: “@writingwithfire.film just nominated for @theacademy awards!!!”
Writing With Fire is about Khabar Lahariya, a vibrant community newspaper in several dialects – Bundeli, Awadhi and Bajjika – run by women from the Dalit community in Sitamarhi district of Bihar and Banda district of UP. The documentary shares the journey from newspaper print to digital medium. It is directed by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh and was shot in five years.
Writing With Fire has already won several awards on the festival circuit, including two at the Sundance Film Festival. In December, it made it to the Oscar shortlist of 15 films from a pool of 138.
The other four contenders in the Best Documentary Feature category are Ascension, Attica, Flea, and Summer of Soul (…or, When Revolution couldn’t air). This is the first time a documentary from India has been nominated in the feature length category; The Oscar for Best Documentary Short has previously been won by two entries set in India – Smile Pinky and Period. end of sentence.
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 27. The Academy Awards ceremony will return this year at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
