Entertainment / “Funny Boy” By Deepa Mehta Is Canada’s Official Submission For Best International Feature Film At The 2021 Oscars

“Funny Boy” By Deepa Mehta Is Canada’s Official Submission For Best International Feature Film At The 2021 Oscars

Entertainment Nov 02, 2020

by Hina P. Ansari

Deepa Mehta’s upcoming film Funny Boy becomes Canada’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming Oscars.

With the 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021, official submissions are being collected by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. The category of Best International Feature Film (formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film) has received submissions from over 23 countries with Canada’s official submission being Funny Boy by noted writer, director and a member of The ANOKHI POWER List 2018, Deepa Mehta.

**Deepa Mehta.** Photo Credit: www.imdb.com

Throughout Oscar’s history there have been a total of eight Canadians films that have been official nominees in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Deepa Mehta’s last turn at the Oscars was in 2007 for her film Water.

As per the voting schedule, a shortlist of 10 films will be unveiled on February 9, 2021, and the chosen five official nominees will be announced on March 15, 2021. As of today, 23 countries have submitted their nominations for the Best International Feature Film.

**Brandon Ingram as Arjie in *Funny Boy*.** Photo Credit: Vidur Bharatram

“Eleven outstanding films were submitted this year, and we are confident that Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy will appeal to Academy members just as her powerful film Water did in 2007, when it was nominated in this prestigious category,” said Christa Dickenson, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada. “Over the last several months, the audiovisual industry has experienced many challenges brought on by the pandemic, and as we continue to navigate in this new reality, let us come together as a country. This year more than ever, we should all rally around the team behind Funny Boy to help them reach the highest peak. The Oscars are an exceptional showcase of the incredible work in our industry, and Telefilm is delighted to partner with these talented filmmakers as we go forward.”

Based on the evocative coming-of-age novel by Sri Lankan/Canadian author Shyam Selvadurai Funny Boy tells the story about growing up gay in Sri Lanka during the deadly Tamil-Sinhalese conflict. The film is co-written by Deepa Mehta and Shyam Selvadurai and produced by David Hamilton and Hussain Amarshi. The film boasts stars Brandon Ingram in his feature film debut, Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi, and Arush Nand as “young Arjie.”

Shot on location and set in Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 80s, the film explores the awakening of sexual identity by a young boy named Arjie. Arjie comes of age in a society and in a family that doesn’t embrace differences outside of societal norms, while political tensions escalate to a boiling point between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese. Funny Boy chronicles Arjie’s struggle to find balance and self-love despite the absence of empathy and understanding.

L-R: Nimmi Harasgama and Ali Kazmi in *Funny Boy*. Photo Credit: Maithili Venkataraman

“It is Brecht who said ‘Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.’ We live in a world with borders, with divisions and differences,” said Deepa Mehta, cowriter-director of Funny Boy. “But now more than ever, we need each other, we need love and compassion and togetherness. Funny Boy to me is about humanity and hope. It’s about holding up a flag of inclusion, in a world tethering towards an abyss of the great divide. David Hamilton and myself thank the jurors across Canada who saw fit to support our film Funny Boy. We thank Telefilm Canada who went the distance for us. CBC and Ontario Creates who gave much needed support and encouragement. And special thanks to dear Shyam Selvadurai for his beautiful novel Funny Boy, and to our brilliant cast and crew. Last but not the least Ava DuVernay and ARRAY for believing in our film. But most of all I would like to thank Canada for standing fast in its embrace of diversity in a world torn by fear of the other.”

Funny Boy will be available to stream on-demand in Canada via CBC Gem following its CBC TV broadcast on December 4. The film will premiere on Netflix outside of Canada on Thursday, December 10.

Hina P. Ansari

Author

Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...

COMMENTS

8 Real-Life Dramas That You Need To Watch

Get Streaming! Binge On These October 2020 Movies & Shows From Bollywood And Beyond!

Actress Sarita Choudhury Discusses Her New Film 'EVIL EYE'

Veena Sud Discusses Directing The Film 'The Lie'

World Mental Health Day Special: Adi Tackles The Topic Of Suicide In India With His latest Release ".22"

Check Out These 7 Lockdown Movies You May Have Missed

4 Reasons Why You Should Check Out "Bad Boy Billionaires: India" On Netflix

Get Streaming! Binge On These November 2020 Movies & Shows From Bollywood And Beyond!

Nazneen Contractor Makes History As The First South Asian Lead In The Hallmark Channel Film, "The Christmas Ring"

6 Reasons Why I've Added K-Pop To My Bollywood Playlist

Get Streaming! Binge On These December 2020 Movies & Shows From Bollywood And Beyond!

Must See! Deepa Mehta's Much-Buzzed New Flick 'Funny Boy'

Interview: Tabu & Ishaan Khatter Dish On Mira Nair's Epic TV Drama 'A Suitable Boy'

5 Replay-Worthy Moments From 'The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives'

“Funny Boy” By Deepa Mehta Is Canada’s Official Submission For Best International Feature Film At The 2021 Oscars

by Hina P. Ansari

Hina P. Ansari

COMMENTS

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE