Winning an Oscar holds a different emotion for everyone. Some call it a fixation or an obsession, some look at it as the ultimate milestone, while for others, it’s a far-fetched dream they hope to fulfil one day. But for the majority of filmmakers — Indian or anywhere across the globe — the Academy Awards qualify as the highest benchmark of creative recognition.

Discussing various aspects of this subject, Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Entertainment & Lifestyle, Hindustan Times, moderated the enriching In-Conversation session, The Road to Oscars, with speakers comprising Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga, Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty and Chief Executive of ShortsTV and voting member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Carter Pilcher, at the ongoing 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Not hesitating in stating that he “can’t understand why we are so fixated with Oscars,” Pookutty, who won an Oscar for Best Sound Mixing for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), believes that it’s not the end-all of a benchmark of a filmmaker having arrived. However, he was quick to add, “The Oscars, of course, are one of the highest achievements of recognition in filmmaking. I’d like to discuss why our films aren’t at Cannes, Venice and several other important international film festivals. I don’t think the Oscars are the end of everything, but at the same time, they’re one of the most recognised recognitions all over the world for filmmakers.”

Whereas, Monga, whose production The Elephant Whisperers (2022) recently won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short category, said, “Distribution is the key. Awards come later. Films that are distributed in the US have a head start in the race for Academy Awards. You need knowledge of the system, a strategy and the right partners. The committee that chooses films for the Oscars in India must optimise the chances of getting the film shortlisted... You can’t be selected and then suddenly try to campaign in two months.”

Pookutty stressed, “The government of India needs to do its bit towards enriching Indian cinema. They need to set up a fund, have some kind of tie-up with one of the biggest PR agencies in US, and say, ‘Look, we are sending this film this year’. So, basically, if the government uses a small percentage of the entertainment tax it collects, doing so will streamline the process and help push our films to the Oscars. Also, this will give independently produced films a chance at that stage.”