Following the success of the viral essay “Thank You, Cancer,” the film Paper Flowers is beginning its campaign for Oscar consideration after a promising showcase at the American Film Market (AFM) in 2025.
The highly praised independent film Paper Flowers, based on the life of Shalin Shah, is beginning its campaign for awards consideration for the 2025-26 season, with a primary focus on winning Best Adapted Screenplay.
This film is based on the personal journal of a young man—a USC graduate and Peace Corps volunteer—who faced a rare cancer. It tells the true story of his journey, filled with love, bravery, and thankfulness, and reveals thoughts he never intended for public view.
In his last days, Shah’s girlfriend shared some of his writings with Varun Soni, the Dean of Religious Life at USC. Soni then asked Antonia Bloomberg, a journalist at HuffPost at the time, to publish them. The resulting essay, titled “Thank You, Cancer,” quickly went viral and became the heart of Shah’s book, Paper Flowers.
Producer Asit Vyas explained that this story is different from many others because it’s based on real-life events. He described it as honest, authentic, and deeply moving.
The film is directed and written by Mary Krell-Oishi, Asit Vyas, and Mahesh Pailoor. It stars Kapil Talwalkar, Olivia Liang, Karan Soni, Faran Tahir, Meera Simhan, and Tom Everett Scott.
The film Paper Flowers will be shown in theaters at the Laemmle NoHo 7 from November 19th to 25th, 2025, making it eligible for Oscar consideration. This run coincides with U.S. Gratitude Month and takes place right before Thanksgiving.
Lela Meadow-Conner, President of Art House Convergence and curator of The Popcorn List, is a strong supporter of the film’s independent nature. The Popcorn List highlights exceptional independent films that haven’t yet found U.S. distribution.
Vyas explained that Shalin originally wrote these words for himself, as a personal journal. Now, they’re touching people all over the globe.
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2025-11-07 13:37