A group of well-known Nepali filmmakers filed a formal complaint with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which challenged the choice of “Anzilla” as Nepal’s Oscar submission, alleging procedural violations and conflicts of interest in the selection process. However, the film’s director is fighting back, claiming that his rivals offered up to $100,000 to separate his film.
The controversy focuses on “Anjira,” a biographical drama about Angela Tambapo Sabuba, captain and goalkeeper of Nepal’s national women’s soccer team, with Sububa in the lead role. The film follows her journey from locking herself inside her home to becoming a team captain, showing her struggle against social expectations and determination to excel in sports.
In a written statement provided to Variety, “Anjira” director Milano Chams dismissed the protest as “personal disappointment,” while Samundra Batta, director of the competing film Gunio Choro, offered up to $100,000 to withdraw “Anjira” from consideration, taking pride in the academy’s connection through executive producers.
“She expressed her complete confidence that her film would be chosen, citing her personal relationship with committee members,” Chums said. “The final decision was something that shocked her.”
The Academy declined to comment.
When Nepal’s Oscar Selection Committee announced “Anzilla” as the country’s international character submission on September 5, the controversy broke out when critics said it was a nine-day application window integrated amid a national crisis that included a curfew and the resignation of the prime minister.
According to the complaint, Jeevan Kumar Parajuli served as both a voting committee member and a media coordinator for “Anjila” and created what the petitioner describes as an obvious conflict of interest.
All national select committees must comply with the rules and regulations of the International Function Awards to qualify for submission. However, the Select Committee can create its own process of deciding on a selection, as long as it meets the category requirements. The committee must publish the film selection process. The process can be made public on announcements made through social media, websites, or media.
“This is very unfair for Nepali filmmakers,” Ram Krishna Pokarel wrote on social media. “It’s not acceptable to secretly choose a film, rather than publicly announce a call for an entry.”
The rebels led by Deepak Rauniyar and Binod Paudel fired a scathing letter to the academy, demanding a full investigation and threatened to completely blow up the dreams of Nepal’s Oscar.
According to rules and regulations of the 98th Oscar, all submissions, applications and materials for international functions must be submitted to the Academy by 5pm on October 1st. After the submission deadline, all entries will be vetted to meet eligibility requirements. The International Feature Film Executive Committee will address eligibility issues and questions in accordance with award rules and selection committee guidelines.
It is noteworthy that the academy does not intervene or direct the process and procedures of national select committees. If an established and approved selection committee meets the requirements of the category, the selection is considered to be in good condition.
Raunilar’s “Puja, Sir” premiered in Venice and has won awards throughout the festival circuit. Produced by Rithy Panh, Bhatta’s “Gunyo Cholo” addresses the identity of Nepal’s transgender identity. Paudell’s “Bhutan – The Happiest Man in the World” stars a veteran Nepali actor along with Hollywood veteran Bruce Dern.
The complaint alleges that the Select Committee is run almost secretly, and international members allegedly did not even see all the films submitted. The application window was reduced from the usual one month to just nine days, and buried during the national crisis, when many filmmakers literally couldn’t access government agencies due to civil unrest.
“Many teams only learned of Cole after the closure,” the filmmaker wrote in an academy’s complaint that it will be seen in variety.
But Chams hasn’t retreated. The truth is that it is a sour grape from a competitor who thought he had been corrected. “We recognize the dissatisfaction between a small number of filmmakers and their near-wheels, but this appears to be driven more by personal interest than objective critique,” he said in a statement.
“She and her executive producers informed me that she was willing to pay up to 100,000 US dollars if necessary, and made publicly stated both in her Facebook wall and in comments about my posts.
Filmmakers are requesting Nepal to resume the entire process with a transparent 30-day application window and independent surveillance. Essentially they ask the Academy to declare their current choice invalid.
“This request relates to the process, not the artistic merit of a single film,” the complaint states.
Oscar will announce official, eligible submissions before the start of the preliminary vote.
