Writing with Fire, India's first documentary to be nominated for Best Documentary lost to the critic favourite Summer of Soul in the Oscars 2022.
Directed by debutants Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, Writing With Fire chronicles the rise of Khabar Lahariya, India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women.
The film follows this ambitious group of Dalit wonder women led by their chief reporter, Meera as the team switches from print to digital in order to stay relevant.
Other nominees in the category were: Ascension, Attica, and Flee.
Despite the miss in Oscars 2022, support for the documentary on social media have been increasing even without any major promotions.
"Disappointed that #WritingWithFire missed the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Hoping though that this documentary will be the spark in India to kindle the conscience of a largely compromised media," commented Twitter user Srinath Shiragalale.
Another user Jason Rezaian tweeted, "Writing With Fire deserves the Oscar for Best Documentary."
Interestingly, days prior to the Academy Awards, in a lengthy blog post, Khabar Lahariya said the documentary, which the team saw recently, captures just a part of their story, "and part stories have a way of distorting the whole sometimes".
"The film is a moving and powerful document, but its presentation of Khabar Lahariya as an organisation with a particular and consuming focus of reporting on one party and the mobilisation around this, is inaccurate," the post read.
The organisation said its team, led by Dalit but also including Muslims, OBC and upper-caste women, is committed to practise impartial journalism and isn't just a "heartwarming story" of success.
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