Jude Anthany Joseph apologies as 2018 fails to make it to the Oscar shortlist 

On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlist of ten categories for the upcoming 96th Oscars ceremony. However, the Malayalam film 2018- Everyone is a Hero, which was India's official entry under the Oscars 2024 in the Best International Feature Film category, did not make it to the nominations list. In the aftermath of the film not making it to the list, Jude Anthany Joseph, the film's director, apologised to his well-wishers and fans on his Instagram handle by penning a note.

In his note, Jude wrote, "Greetings, everyone. The Oscar shortlist has been unveiled, and regrettably, our film 2018- Everyone Is A Hero, did not secure a spot among the final 15 films out of the 88 international language films from across the globe. I sincerely apologise to all my well-wishers and supporters for disappointing you all".

He continued, "Nevertheless, the opportunity to represent India in this competition has been a dream-like journey that I will cherish for a lifetime. Being the highest-grossing film and the official Indian entry to the Oscars is a rare achievement in any filmmaker's career. I am grateful to God for choosing me for this extraordinary journey. My heartfelt thanks go to the producers, technicians, artists, and the audience for their tremendous support for our film".

The filmmaker further penned his gratitude to the people who helped, "A special expression of gratitude to the Film Federation Of India, particularly Sir Ravi Kottarakkara, for their boundless support and love and for selecting our film as India's official entry. I express my gratitude to all the Indian filmmakers who supported me on this journey, with special thanks to Pan Nalin, Sidharth Roy Kapoor, Guneet Monga, Rintu Thomas, Ashutosh Gowarikar sir, Resul Pookkutty sir, Anurag Kashyap, Rajamouli sir, Senthi sir and many more. I express my gratitude to all my supporters in Los Angeles and eagerly anticipate the meetings that we have already scheduled.

Jude concluded, "I extend my best wishes to all the finalists, with a special mention to Sol, my dear friend and the producer of the Armenian film. The inception of the next dream begins today, as the Oscars await, and I am poised to be present until we meet, dear Oscar." 

2018, stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Lal, Aparna Balamurali, Kalaiyarasan and Narain, among others. The film is based on the flash floods that took place in 2018. The film weaves in several stories of people who get stranded as the disaster strikes.