Director of Oscar nominated documentary 'To Kill a Tiger' on a father's enduring fight for justice

HOLLYWOOD -- Oscars red carpet is generally bustling with limousines, red carpet ready gowns and tuxedos. And as usual, we will see plenty of A-list star power. But the Academy also recognizes filmmakers who talk about issues... with the best documentary category.

This year, the films talk about book banning, politics, war, family and social justice. "To Kill a Tiger" tells the story of a 13-year-old girl in India who was gang-raped by three young men, including her cousin. Her father fights for justice in a poor, rural community that is not on his side.

"It was a really, really challenging film on so many levels," said filmmaker Nisha Pahuja.

"To Kill a Tiger" follows one rape case in India...but if you believe the numbers, over 90% of rapes go unreported in India. That's the estimate.

"There are some that say it's even higher than that," said Pahuja. "The laws in India that govern rape, they're actually quite stringent, you know? They're actually quite powerful. They're really robust. It's the implementation of the laws, you know, that's an issue. And part of that has to do with culture, you know, because the law can only do so much, right?"

The director says the main issue is culture and the question then becomes, "How do you change that?"

"We've been dealing with violence against women and sexual violence around the world, you know? This isn't a new issue and it certainly isn't an issue that's exclusive to India. It's a global--it's a global issue," said Pahuja.

And it's under the microscope in "To Kill a Tiger," with villagers weighing in on what happened and what, if anything, to do about it.

"You should know that there are actually 20 countries around the world that have a 'marry your rapist' law which literally, you know, means that if you marry your victim, you can walk away. India is not one of those countries," said Pahuja.

In "To Kill a Tiger," we see what it takes for a father to fight for his daughter. As a filmmaker, Pahuja spent many years trying to get this project made.

"Eight very trying, emotional but really, ultimately, rewarding years for sure," said Pahuja.