Oscars 2023: Indian Documentary The Elephant Whisperers Wins Academy Award For Best Documentary Short
Netflix's short documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers', produced by Guneet Monga and directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, won Oscars for Documentary Short Subject.
Netflix's short documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers', produced by Guneet Monga and directed by Kartiki Gonsalves won Oscars for Documentary Short Subject.
Other nominations in the category were 'How Do You Measure a Year?', a 2021 American short documentary film directed by Jay Rosenblatt, Russian-British co-production short documentary film 'Haulout', 'Ther Martha Mitchell Effect' and 'Stranger at the Gate' directed by Joshua Seftel.
'The Elephant Whisperers' is a heartwarming story of an indigenous couple who have been given an orphaned elephant, Raghu to look after. The story follows the couple's journey as they relentlessly work to ensure Raghu's recovery and survival.
The short documentary beautifully stitches the tale of how the couple falls in love with the majestic creature in the course of time. Set against the background of life in the wild spaces of South India, 'The Elephant Whisperers' highlights the beauty of exotic wildlife, unforgettable wild spaces, and the people and animals who share this space.
This short documentary marks the directorial debut of Kartiki Gonsalves. According to Gonsalves, stories are at the heart of human existence. Her debut project began with a simple curiosity that she had when she spotted a man walking alongside the road with an elephant calf during her journey from Bangalore to Ooty.
She immediately parked her car on the side of the road and followed the pair as they went for their bath in the river.
The elephant calf was Raghu, whose mother was electrocuted after their herd travelled to a nearby village during a prolonged drought. Separated from his herd, Raghu seemed to have found substitute parents in Boman and Bellie, a couple from an indigenous tribe.
“This movie began with a bittersweet beginning with the death of Raghu’s mother. (But) I wanted the story to be positive and to not focus on all the depressing parts when there's so much beauty and this beautiful, unusual family dynamic.
“I just wanted people to be able to understand elephants on a deeper level. And to also recognize how similar they are and how intelligent elephants are, which would eventually help people to want to protect them and the landscape,” she told PTI.
The filmmaker also hoped to highlight the importance of indigenous people and their role in preserving the wildlife.
Gonsalves said when there are so many stories about the danger of animals, she was keen to show the love and connection they have with humans.
“That was the core idea with this documentary because the elephant is such a large animal and they need to be treated with respect, and they're capable of lifelong bonds. I hope that people will start seeing them as one of us and not as the other,” she was quoted as saying by PTI.
The producer Guneet had said that through ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, they wanted to highlight the issue of climate change.
“I don't think a film can bring change, but it can get people to value what they are doing and how they can be better and what is their footprint on this earth. Of course, the nomination helps in the publicity,” Monga said.
(With PTI input)
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