Oscars 2021: Indian Women Rising’s first project ‘Bittu’ makes it to Live Action Short Film shortlist

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The 93rd Academy Awards announced the shortlists in nine categories today and Indian Women Rising’s first project ‘Bittu’ made it to the Live Action Short Film shortlist.

Directed by Karishma Dev Dube, ‘Bittu’ is based on a true story and tells the tale of a close friendship between two girls, eclipsed by an accidental poisoning at school. From casting real children amongst the valleys of the Himalayas to shooting against the backdrop of the mountains, the film offers a visually aesthetic as well as an authentic experience, to its viewers.

Ekta Kapoor, Guneet Monga, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, and Ruchika Kapoor had collaborated to discover Indian female talent in cinema and promote and accentuate the scope of its marketing, sales, and distribution pushing the boundaries of geographical locations, with the launch of Indian Women Rising, a cinema collective.

Competing amongst 174 films from across the globe, ‘Bittu’ has qualified for the top 10 after the first round of voting and will now be subjected to the votes of members of the short films and animation branch to determine the nominees.

The second round of voting begins on March 5 that would decide the top 5 films across the globe, making it to the final nominations to be announced on March 15.

Indian Women Rising in a joint statement shared, “Exhilarated, proud and overwhelmed to witness the journey of Bittu unfold so gracefully. Karishma Dev Dube’s excellent storytelling compelled us to come on board for the project and now as the world is recognising and appreciating the efforts we are nothing but proud of the film and the entire team that made it possible to achieve this feat.”

Recipient of the Student Academy Award, ‘Bittu’ is an internationally acclaimed cinematic piece having screened at several prestigious film festivals like BFI London Film Festival, Telluride, Palm Springs Shortest, Dharamshala Film Festival, and the HollyShorts Film Festival, where Dube won the Best Director Award.

Dube shared, “It’s every filmmaker’s dream to be recognised by the academy, and I’m overwhelmed by the gratitude. This recognition however is not mine alone, I made this film with an incredible cast and crew, all of whom I’m so grateful for. I’m just very happy that Bittu is able to represent this team and my country on this platform.”