Maybe it’s still somewhat of a foreign concept to imagine the United Kingdom submitting movies for the Oscars’ International Feature category, maybe because that category used to be called “Foreign Language Film,” and the primary language of the UK (as most will know) is English. Things are definitely changing, and with the country’s Oscar win for Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest earlier this year, the UK is being taken seriously as a contender.

This year’s selection is Santosh, the dramatic feature directorial debut by Sandhya Suri, who has previously worked in the realm of documentary. Her new film stars Shahana Goswami as the title character, Santosh Saini, a woman whose police office husband was killed in a riot, so she’s enlisted to take his place on the force, finding a mentor in Sunita Rajwar’s Geeta. No sooner has Santosh joined the force, she’s pulled into the case of a teen girl who was raped, tortured and murdered, her body thrown into a well, so she finds herself having to work against a system that is put into place to hinder the country’s lower castes.

Needless to say, Santosh is very different from the police dramas we’ve seen here in the United States, as well as in other countries of Asia, since Suri keeps it grounded in the very real and authentic lifestyle of the community, setting it apart even from the other movies from India. Thanks to the film’s producer, BBC Films, Ms. Suri’s film has already been shortlisted for the Academy’s International Feature category, with the nominations to be announced on January 17, 2025.

Cinema Daily US’s Edward Douglas spoke with Ms. Suri last week about how her film came about and how she was able to tell such a complex story as her narrative feature debut.

Santosh opens in New York at the IFC Center with other cities and theaters to follow in 2025. 

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Writer/Director: Sandhya Suri

Cast: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar, Pratibha Awasthy 

Producer: Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, Alan McAlex

Production Co: Good Chaos, Haut et Cort, Razor Film, Suitable Pictures

Distributor: Metrograph Pictures

Rating: R (Some Language|Violent Content)

Genre: Drama

Language: Hindi

Release Date (Theaters): December 27, 2024 (Limited)

Runtime: 2 hours

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Check out more of Edward Douglas’ articles.

You can watch the trailer below: