Bhubaneswar: Its twin delight for Odisha with two movies by filmmakers of the state making it to the 344 eligible feature films list for the 2019 Academy Awards recently announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Besides ‘Josef – Born in Grace’ by Susant Misra, ‘The Last Color’ produced by Titlagarh-born Jitendra Mishra has made it to the race for Oscars in the best picture category.
‘The Last Color’ starring Neena Gupta is the directorial debut of celebrity chef Vikas Khanna and it is based on his bestselling book. The first look of the film was launched during the official event of Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
‘Josef – Born in Grace’ with an impressive star cast, which includes Victor Banerjee as a Christian priest, is an adaptation of a short story ‘Joseph’ written by Umakanta Mahapatra. It is set in the foothills of the Himalayas between 1960 and 1980 in India.
It has been produced by another Odia, Ashok Mahapatra.
Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards will be announced on January 13 and the ceremony will take place on February 9.