Assamese film Village Rockstars is this year’s official entry to the 91st Academy Awards. The film was selected on Saturday, announced SV Rajendra Singh Babu, chairman of the committee. The coming-of-age film was written, edited, co-produced, and directed by Rima Das, a self-taught filmmaker, which also premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
“One of the criteria is that the film has to be rooted in India with a universal message. The film has to be professionally and technically well made with hardly any flaws to capture and a well-performed film. It was absolutely a unanimous decision. The film Village Rockstars got votes of all the jury members unanimously. We are very proud of this film,” said Anant Mahadevan, one of the members of the committee, while talking to a leading media organisation.
More than 25 films were shortlisted for India's official entry to the Oscars -- Padmaavat, Raazi, Hichki and PadMan, Love Sonia, Manto, Kadvi Hawa and Gali Guleiyan.