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Delhi-born Nisha Pahuja’s film ‘To Kill a Tiger’ has been nominated in the best feature documentary category for the Oscars 2024.
“I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it. I was over the moon. Yeah, I just couldn’t believe it,” Pahuja said disclosing about initial reaction on learning about her nomination.
“This film has work to do in the world,” said Nisha about her documentary about an Indian farmer’s legal battle for his daughter after a brutal sexual assault. ‘To Kill a Tiger’ is all about Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, who takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, Kiran, after she survived a sexual assault by three men in 2017.
“This whole journey and the determination to do this has been because this film needs a big platform because it’s important. And it’s a tough subject, and I know this film has work to do in the world,” Pahuja insisted.
Born in Delhi and now based in Ontario, her credits include To Kill a Tiger, winner of 19 awards from festivals including TIFF, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Doc Aviv and the Canadian Screen awards. pahuja’s previous films include the Emmy-nominated ‘The World Before Her’, the feature documentary ‘Bollywood Bound’ and the three-part series ‘Diamond Road’.
But aside from her career milestone, the ‘To Kill a Tiger’ director is more focused on the global platform her film has secured to drive impact for greater gender justice for survivors of rape and other sexual violence in India and the rest of the world.
