By Paramita Datta
The film directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, Homebound has made it to the shortlist for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category representing India on the world stage once again.
On December 16th, 2025, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences included categories for animated short films, casting, cinematography, documentary feature films, documentary short films, international feature films, live action short films, makeup and hairstyling, music, sound, and visual effects. The Academy revealed that the movie was among the finalists for the Best International Feature Film category.
Created by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta and Somel Mishra, starring actors Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, Homebound had advanced to the next stage competing against 15 other films in the same category. In the upcoming round, Academy members will review all the nominated films and subsequently cast their votes for the top selection.
The producer took to social media expressing his gratitude upon receiving the news. He stated that he felt extremely proud and joyful of the journey of the movie. He also mentioned that all individuals at Dharma Movies considered themselves to be extremely fortunate to be involved in such a significant film. He further expressed his gratitude to Neeraj Ghaywan and mentioned how the movie moved from Cannes to the Oscar shortlist, making the journey quite remarkable and expressed his affection and best wishes for the entire cast and crew of the movie and mentioned that the team will continue to progress.
The executive producer of this movie is Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Where Shoaib and Chandan, the two close friends wanted to join the police as they believed that the job would give them a life of respect, was revealed by Martin. Further he discloses that this desire to become officers soon turned harsh, created by India’s tense social and political climate. The script is based on the 2020 New York Times article “Taking Amrit Home” by the journalist Basharat Peer.
Other films that are from different countries were also selected for the Best International Feature Film shortlist. These films include Belén from Argentina and The Secret Agent from Brazil. France’s film is called It Was Just an Accident, while Germany’s film is Sound of Falling. Iraq’s The President’s Cake and Japan’s Kokuho also made the list. Other films include All That’s Left of You from Jordan, Sentimental Value from Norway, Palestine 36 from Palestine, no other choice from South Korea, Sirât from Spain, Late Shift from Switzerland, Left Handed Girl from Taiwan, and The Voice of Hind Rajab from Tunisia.