Malayalam film '2018' is India's official entry for Oscars

India: Malayalam film ‘2018: Everyone is a Hero’ starring actor Tovino Thomas has been selected as India’s official entry for the 2024 Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India announced on Wednesday

The devastating 2018 Kerala floods left a trail of destruction and loss across the state. Yet, from the depths of despair emerged stories that etched themselves in the archives of heroism. Forging its path to success, the survival drama became a phenomenon in the world of Malayalam cinema proudly holding the title of the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year and the top three highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

Directed by the visionary Jude Anthany Joseph, the film showcases the resilience of people from all walks of life who find themselves thrust into the eye of calamity and how unity becomes their driving force.

“Being chosen as India’s official entry for the Oscars is truly an incredible recognition for our film. It’s not just a moment of pride for me as an actor, but for the entire team that poured their heart and soul into this project," Tovino Thomas said.

"2018 is a reflection of the resilience and indomitable spirit of the people of Kerala in the face of one of the most devastating natural disasters of our time. Through the film, we aim to remind everyone that amidst the chaos and destruction, there is always a glimmer of hope, and it’s the human spirit that shines the brightest. This nomination serves as a shining example of our collective efforts, and I am hopeful that it will resonate with the international audience, just as it did with our own,” he said.

Produced by Venu Kunnappilly, CK Padmakumar, and Anto Joseph, ‘2018: Everyone is a Hero’ is currently streaming on the OTT platform Sony Liv.

The Film Federation of India’s official section committee headed by noted filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli made the selection of the move that also stars Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aparna Balamurali, Kalaiyarasan, Indrans, Sudheesh, Gilu Joseph, Vinitha Koshy, Aju Varghese, Thanvi Ram, and Gauthami Nair.

The 96th Oscars is scheduled to take place on March 10, 2024, in Los Angeles.

The Academy set the submission deadline for general categories for the 2024 Oscars for November 18, 2023. Preliminary voting for the shortlists will begin on December 18 with the results announced on December 21.

The nominations voting period will run from January 11-16, 2024, with the official nominations announcement on January 23.

There will be four weeks between nominations and final voting, which begins on February 22. The show will air live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.