0
Shares
Nepal has selected Anjila as its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. The selection was announced by Nepal’s International Feature Film Selection Committee.
This year, Anjila competed against Gunyu Cholo, directed by Samundra Bhatt, for the nomination.
After Anjila was chosen, director Bhatt took to Facebook, alleging that Nepal’s Oscar Selection Committee had been “sold out for money.”
She further remarked that if money was what the committee wanted, she would have been ready to pay bribes of NPR 1 million each.
“Perhaps the Oscar Committee doesn’t know me well. If they had asked, I wouldn’t just give 100,000 each, I would have given everyone 1 million! Hahaha… What a joke,” Bhatt wrote on Facebook.
She went on to call the alleged corruption within the Oscar selection process both “tragic and humiliating.”
“To sell such a sensitive and prestigious opportunity of representing the nation for money is not only tragic but also deeply shameful,” she stated.
As of now, the Oscar Selection Committee has not responded to these serious allegations.
Meanwhile, Gunyu Cholo is currently screening in Nepali theaters.
Here is the full Facebook status she posted:
“Working on new subjects in this very country, carrying the dream of representing Nepal internationally with my own creation, now feels nearly impossible. Seeing our relentless effort for the Oscars overshadowed by the game of money deeply pains me.
Just yesterday, our young generation sacrificed their lives demanding an end to corruption. Today, it feels like history is repeating itself. In this culture, where opportunities are bought and sold with money, and where creativity is suppressed by financial power, who will understand the suffering of creative workers like us?
Previously, my appointment was canceled purely due to political interests. Now again, to sell such a sensitive and prestigious opportunity of representing the nation for money is not only tragic but also humiliating.
Who should films, creativity, and the judges entrusted with fairness be accountable to?
How can impartiality be ensured?
And ultimately, who will hear our voices?
This question is not only personal but a collective concern of Nepal’s entire creative community.
Perhaps the Oscar Committee doesn’t know me well. If they had asked, I wouldn’t just give 100,000 each, I would have given everyone 1 million! Hahaha… What a joke.”
#oscarrepresentfromnepal @highlight
