How Are Films Selected For Oscar Nominations? How does it Make Decisions?

The Oscar nominations are selected by the Academy’s 17 branches, each of which nominates films in its own category, and all members can vote for the Best Picture nominees. The final nominees are determined by secret ballot, and the Best Picture uses a preferential voting system to ensure broad support.

“Lapaataa Ladies” has become India’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.

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The film received critical acclaim for its strong storytelling and outstanding performances, solidifying its status as a strong contender for the prestigious award.

India submitted around 29+ films for the award but only Laapataa Ladies was chosen to represent the country at the Oscars.

The film was unanimously approved by the 13-member selection committee headed by Assam director Jahnu Barua.

The film, which follows the lives of three women in a small village in India, has been praised for its powerful storytelling and realistic portrayal of female characters. Lapataa Ladies has already won acclaim at several international film festivals before its Oscar nomination.

Here is the list of Indian films that are competing for the 2025 Oscars:

Movie Title	language	director	notes
Ms. Laapata	Hindi	Kiran Rao	Official 2025 Oscars Entries
animal	Hindi	Sandeep Reddy Vanga	Starring Ranbir Kapoor
Atam	Tamil	National Award-winning Films	Widely acclaimed
Everything we imagine is light	Hindi	Cannes Film Festival winners
Kalki 2898	Telugu	Prashant Neel	The blockbuster film starring Prabhas and Deepika
Maidaan	Hindi	Ajay Devgn
Chandu Champion	Hindi	Kartik Aryan
Article 370	Hindi	Yami Gautam
Swatantriya Veer Savarkar	Hindi	Randeep Hooda
Srikanth	Hindi	Rajkumar Rao
Sam Bahadur	Hindi	Vicky Kaushal
Yolan	Hindi	Manoj Bajpayee
kill	Hindi
Good luck	Hindi
Mangrava Alam	Telugu
Hanuman	Telugu		Widely acclaimed
Maharaja	Tamil	Vijay Sethupathi, Anurag Basu	Oscars
Tangraan	Tamil
Vazai	Tamil
Kotukkali	Tamil
Jama	Tamil
Jigasanda 2	Tamil
Ulojuku	Malayalam		Also submitted for consideration
Swagandava Sudhir Padeke	Marathi		Oscar Contender
Galat Ganapati	Marathi		Oscar Contender

The officially selected entry is Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao.

What is the process for selecting Oscar nominations?

The Oscar nomination selection process, especially for the Academy Awards, is very complex and includes several key stages:

Eligibility and submission method:

Films must meet specific eligibility criteria set by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

For example, to qualify for the Best International Feature Film award, a film must be at least 40 minutes long, feature mostly non-English dialogue (more than 50%), and be shown in theaters for at least seven consecutive days during the eligibility period (between November 1 of the previous year and September 30 of the current year).

Voting structure:

The Academy is made up of approximately 9,000 members organized into 17 chapters, each representing a different aspect of filmmaking (e.g., actors, directors). Each chapter nominates films in its own category; however, all members can vote for Best Picture nominations.

The nomination process involves two rounds of voting:

• Preliminary Ballot: The committee reviews eligible entries and produces a shortlist of 15 films through secret ballot.
• Final Vote: The final candidates (usually five) are determined by the Nominating Committee through another round of secret ballot.
• Voting system: For categories such as Best Picture, members rank their choices. A “magic number” is calculated based on the total number of votes received, which determines whether a film becomes a nominated film. If no film receives enough first-place votes, an additional count is conducted, in which the film with the fewest votes is eliminated and its votes are redistributed until the final five nominated films are determined.

Indian film selection process

In India, the Oscars are chosen by the Film Federation of India (FFI), and the process is as follows:

Invitation for submission:

The Film Institute of India invites filmmakers to submit their films as India’s official entry for the Oscars. To be eligible, films must meet similar criteria to those set by the Academy.

Submission Process:

Filmmakers have to submit their films along with details of the film and crew and pay a submission fee of Rs 1.25 lakh. This fee is used to meet the administrative costs associated with the selection process.

Jury Selection:

The jury, composed of 13 experienced professionals in the creative field, will evaluate the entries. The jury president, nominated by FFI, will oversee the selection process.

Evaluation and Decision Making:

The jury watches all the submitted films, discusses them and then votes on the final selection. The selected films aim to showcase India’s cultural ethos and social system on an international platform.

Recent Cases: For example, Laapataa Ladies has been announced as India’s official entry for the upcoming Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. The film was selected by the jury from among 29 entries after a thorough evaluation.

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How does FFI ensure transparency in the Oscars selection process?

The Film Federation of India (FFI) has taken several steps to ensure transparency in the Oscars selection process for Indian films. Here are the main ones:

The selection process is publicly announced:

FFI makes its selection criteria and procedures public on its website, detailing eligibility requirements for films such as language, length and theatrical run. This openness allows filmmakers to understand what is required of their submissions.

Composition and functions of the jury:

FFI appoints a jury of 13 experienced professionals in the creative field to evaluate the entries. The jury’s task is to screen the films and make the final decision through discussion and voting. The jury president is also nominated by FFI to ensure an orderly selection process.

Contributions are encouraged:

FFI actively invites filmmakers to submit their work for consideration. This invitation comes with a commitment to assist filmmakers through the submission process, promoting a more inclusive environment for participation.

Voting process:

After the jury screens all submitted films, they will vote to select the final works. The voting process ensures that the opinions of each jury member are taken into account, creating a democratic selection environment.

Dealing with criticism:

Despite recent criticism of the all-male jury and concerns about underrepresentation, the French Film Institute has publicly acknowledged these issues. The acknowledgment reflects a growing awareness of the need for inclusivity and transparency in the decision-making process, especially given that many of the selected films focus on narratives by women.

Feedback Mechanism:

FFI said it was open to feedback on its selection process and hoped to involve more diverse filmmakers in future selections to increase transparency and accountability in the selection process.

Related story: 2025 Oscars Q&A: Test your movie knowledge

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