So far, it is a February 1 ceremony for Indian cinefiles to groan in Oscar Snowbas and Doom-Scroll R/Oskus. The days spread for a long time, the wind is thick with the prize-season gossip, and a careful curated lineup of the academy-abhishek films is in the Indian multiplex, courtesy of PVR Inox. Annual Oscar Film Festival-This year is going on from 21 February to 13 March-that monsoon box-office recession and Diwali blockbuster Rush has become a part of India’s film calendar. Film lovers wait throughout the year, which congratulates the part of the part, the part of the part; Where one else can catch a blessing of a slow-burning foreign arthouse epic, a broadwe-to-Hollywood spectacle, and a slow-burning foreign arthouse epic in the same theater, just the week (or, let’s be honest, months) Can the world catch after the rest?

This year’s lineup consists of eight Oscar-Namsed films: Cruelist, A complete unknown, conclave, Emilia Perez, A real pain, Holy fig seed, WickedAnd Wild robotA respectable list, a compelling one, even. But between the cinefilic circle on each inclusion and omission, one absence is in a big way: AnoraSean Baker-directed Indi, which is against all obstacles, emerged as the best picture of this season, was initially slate for the release of November 1 in India, but since then a familiar Ebis: Released Date in TBA has disappeared.

This year a look at the Oscar Film Festival lineup of PVR Inox

Sanjeev Kumar is surprised as Electricity, Executive Director and co-founder of PVR, the rest of us. “In the midst of our conversation, I was planning to call my team in Bombay, to ask what happened Anora“He accepted, laughing.” Because I do not know honestly what happened to it. This is a studio film, [distributed] Here by universal. So perhaps he got caught in the sensor seeing the topics of the film. “A more sympathetic way to say: A story about a Brooklyn Stripper can not be approved by the Ethical investigation of the Certification Board by getting married in the Russian elite.

If Anora This year is the ghost of the festival, Emilia Perez It has a controversial star that is increasing some eyebrows for its inclusion. This year nominated in a shocking 13 categories, it seemed lucky for glory initially. But in this year’s awards season, the tides changed rapidly. The ongoing dispute over an unaffected defeat and representation around its major star has seen the opportunities of its Oscar less until the day. “Of course, the disputes came much later. After nomination. And they are collecting speed in the last two weeks, ”Electricity said. “Every chance to win anything is now decreasing, but a film is not going on, which gets 13 nominations in theaters, just do not look right.”

Truth, as usual, is a mixture of logistics, studio decisions and an audience, despite its growing hunger for fresh films around the world, disappointingly unpredictable.

A legacy to bring Oscar to India

The Oscar Film Festival, in many ways, has become a defined feature of PVR’s commitment to bring global cinema into Indian audience. But the roots of this tradition are behind for about two decades. “We have been doing it for a long time, as far as I can remember, maybe now 15-20 years,” electricity missed. “One of the pivot points for this was that we realized very quickly in our journey, when we were a small cinema company, we had some screens, that there were many such films that were not available in India. “

Audience in a PVR multiplex | Photo Credit: PVR Inox

It was in the early years when PVR paintings were born – a distribution branch dedicated to achieving independent films and bringing them to Indian cinemas. Bijli discovers to release its origin back Talented Mr. ReplayA film that made waves during its awards season, but did not automatically slate for a dramatic release in India. “When we really realize the existence of independent cinema and establish the distribution division to achieve and achieve these films,” he said. Since then, PVR Pictures has brought many Oscar winning films to the Indian audience. Chicago To Moonlight To Everything everywhere at once“Now more than ever, we have access to almost all global cinema, and now it is great to be able to provide the entire gambit,” Electricity said, citing last year’s success. Field of interest And AnatomyAlso the inclusion of this year Emilia Perez And Holy fig seed“People know about these films through social media, news and many other channels.”

The Art and Science of Cursion

The cursor of PVR’s Oscar lineup is a practice in the balance calculated, which forms a balance between the choice of the academy and the mercury taste of the Indian audience. “We really do not think of profitability at the time of curating the festival,” electricity insisted. “In this business, you never know what works. History, however, suggests that the best picture winner almost always watchs a post-oscar bounce, ”he said, citing Parasite Dramatic run hereas an example. “At the beginning of the festival, we are very justified. It is a three-week long festival, so it is a pre-escor. But in the third week, the post-oscar, the programming bends more towards the winners. “This means that he likes movies Cruelist -When, despite its significant praise, there may be a hard sale in the form of three and a half hours of black and white meditation on architecture-the crown champion will enjoy a fair run before unavoidable changes in favor.

Since the Oscar Film Festival essentially serves as a commercial venture, it should complete the elusive craze of the Indian audience. Electricity, for its share, it is good to predict which films will break. “Oh God, I have taken this question very seriously,” he laughed when asked to bet on the possible breakout hit of the year. “I am now calculating the box office number in my head.” His intestine says Cruelist“Although conclave Already doing well, I think Cruelist Honestly, a crossover is even more. ,

This balance extends to the choice of act formats. PVR has long been a flag bearer for premium formats such as IMAX and 4DX, but Oscar-rich films often find themselves in the dilemma of being widely honored, yet always always draws a spectacle of something like Christopher Nolan epic. Is not commanded. “In the case of IMAX, this is not something we can control,” Electricity said. ,Oppenheimer Apparently came to us in the IMAX format, which made it an IMAX release. But i’m still uncertain CruelistEven though it is still slapped for the release of a PXL (PVR’s largest flagship screen). “As in luck, IMAX India has announced only one release Cruelist Almost as Brady Corbett himself heard our conversation and decided to amend.

Foreign language films have found strong notch in multiplex ecosystems, no small part Parasite And AnatomyWhose latter enjoyed an unusually strong run last year. But the Electricity Award-c-season is clear about the challenges of marketing of such films for the mainstream audiences before riding the speed of verification. “Traditional marketing expenses are quite difficult,” he explained. “We cannot spend that kind of P&A (print and advertisement) in view of the box-office capacity of these films. But social media, film community, and in-theater help in increasing the promotion noise. ,

Nevertheless, with all digital cutters and significant support, the best photo category remains a gateway drug for the most casual Oscar watches. Why like a movie Everything everywhere at onceWhich was largely ignored in its initial release, a post-oscar became a dramatic juggler. And why is it, if Anora In fact, Vijay, Universal on March 3 will have little option to rapidly track its Indian release-not out of goodwill, if not out of goodwill, at least one waiting out of responsibility for the audience.

Oscar as a communal experience

For all the reverence associated with the festival, however, a burning question is unanswered: PVR has never considered the Oscar Live screening? Given its success with live sporting events, a dramatic Oscar will consider a watch-party, although the niche, a viewer can be found.

Electricity confessed that the idea had crossed his mind. “The idea also came to me this morning. I think you must be reading my mind only, ”they shocked. “But this is such a strange time, right?” In the morning. I think you will show people as soon as you and I will show. “He is not wrong – the tragic of Oscar at 5 am on Monday morning is hardly suited for mass appeal. But if history has proved anything, it is that Indian cinefiles, when the right film is transferred, will change. If everything Everywhere Can pack theaters after months of release, if Parasite A cultural phenomenon can become, then, of course, somewhere, there are an audience that is ready to wake up in the morning for the most glamorous night of cinema.

For all their flaws and conceit, the Oscars watching the film remain a collective moment of democracy, where the indies and blockbusters exclude it on a (not) level playground. PVR’s Oscar Film Festival, then, is close to public service – an annual attempt to bridge the gap of disappointment between the academy that celebrates and actually plays in Indian theaters. Some movies will break, others will fade in the abyss of “Will We to Gate to It It Endle”, distribution of the distribution, and at least one will cause social media uproar on subtitled or sensor cuts. and if Anora Does the house take the best picture? Well, why is it easy to ask for the hope of flooding of reluctant cinefiles Pushpa 2 Compared to Indie, an Academy Award winner in his nearest multiplexes.

The Oscar Film Festival of PVR Inox runs in 54 cities in 22 cities from 21 February to 13 March.