Director Kartiki Gonsalves, who celebrated her Oscar-win recently, for the documentary The Elephant Whisperers, has taken on a new role as a juror at the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival 2023. “I got approached by the founder of Kunal and Vora, and I immediately accepted it because this is something that I definitely want to be involved in. I think at the end of the day, we are all environmentalists, and we are here for a cause. It is such a great space to be a part of this community,” expresses Gonsalves.
The festival boasts 10 days of live and virtual screenings, featuring 62 environmental films from 50 countries. “Most of the events are free and even if it’s paid, it is nothing more than ₹500, which is phenomenal. I would have loved something like this while growing up, but we never did, so having a platform for such events and these festivals is simply amazing,” she further adds.
As a juror, Gonsalves also highlights the importance of not only a compelling story in documentary filmmaking but also many other factors. “When it comes to documentary filmmaking, the story needs to be good, you need to connect with it, but alongside the choice of subject, cinematography and music also matters. The issues that are captured in a documentary are really important, but one should also take care as to how they are being conveyed to the audience,” she quips.
“Along with that, I also look at the independent filmmakers and what they have achieved, because that’s also such a big part of the work. A lot of really big documentaries get funding, but it’s hard for people who have stories that are small, it is difficult for them to get noticed. There are many things that I would look at as a juror,” the 37-year-old adds.
Reflecting on the impact of her Oscar win, Gonsalves notes, “The Academy Awards brought a lot of attention to the documentary, which in turn brought attention towards wild elephants and our relationship with nature. I think it’s something that’s going to be an ongoing process.”
“For me personally, it has given a pathway to move forward. One of the biggest struggles of filmmakers was to get funding, and it’s very crucial to make your next documentary, so it has given me a platform to have the confidence to move forward and keep telling the stories that I want to tell, learn more about people, which will eventually have an impact in the future,” she ends.
