Producer Guneet Monga's documentary, The Elephant Whisperers, has bagged an Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary Short Film category. The nominees for the 95th Academy Awards were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday, 24 January.
Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, The Elephant Whisperers depicts the story of a South Indian couple who dedicate their lives to caring for an orphaned elephant calf.
Producer Monga took to social media to express her excitement upon her film's Oscar nomination. Sharing the big news with her fans, she penned a heartfelt note for The Elephant Whisperers' cast and crew.
In her note, she wrote, "The Elephant Whisperers is an ode to devotion and love..an ode to unconditional selfless love for the beautiful baby ellie Raghu who felt all the emotions like us humans but only two could hear his whispers - Bomman and Bellie. I am beyond grateful for @kartikigonsalves (the Director), who discovered this sacred bond and trusted us with the story so pure and surreal.
"Today's nomination strengthens my faith in stories with heart and people who tirelessly submit themselves to a larger vision. It is truly for them! It is the innocence and honesty that transcended these boundaries and made The Elephant Whisperers travel from a small quaint town of Ooty to the biggest stage of Cinema!
"This journey has also been about the representation and making our country proud. So here's to India, and here's to all of us."
Here, take a look:
India has also bagged two other nominations at the 95th Academy Awards. 'Naatu Naatu' from filmmaker SS Rajamouli's RRR has been nominated for Best Original Song, while Shaunak Sen’s film All That Breathes has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film.
This year's nominations were announced by Allison Williams and Riz Ahmed. The Oscars 2023 will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 12 March and will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
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