Netflix’s The Elephant Whisperers was released on December 8, 2022, and has achieved wonders on national and international platforms. However, the best ground-breaking feat achieved by the Tamil-language Indian short documentary is winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th edition of the Oscars this year.
The short docu-film took the world by storm by becoming the first Indian production to have won such an award. All the credit for the same goes to the debuting director Kartiki Gonsalves, who also stands in as one of its producers alongside Guneet Monga, Achin Jain and Douglas Blush, under the banner of Sikhya Entertainment.
The heartfelt and emotional documentary introduces us to Bomman and Bellie, a couple in South India who form an unlikely yet heartwarming bond and family with the orphaned baby elephant named Raghu.
During a press conference on March 23, 2023, Leisurebyte got the opportunity to speak to the filmmaking panel of the documentary. I asked the director, Kartiki Gonsalves, about the raw emotional rush she must’ve experienced while filming the short film. I also asked her what stayed with her the most through this process and how it changed her views on the bond between human beings and animals.
Kartiki Gonsalves answers, “My background is that I’m a Natural History photographer and filmmaker, so I’ve always had this beautiful connection with the natural world. So, I think, while I was making this documentary, I was really just drawn to Raghu and Amu, and the connection they had with Bomman and Bellie.
She added, “This relationship has always been there and this added a whole different layer. More than my relationship with animals, I was blown away by the power of storytelling in this piece because animals have been a part of my life ever since I was 18 months old.”
“What really changed me in this documentary is seeing how a powerful small story from the heart of South India can really reach out to the world in so many ways, and how ultimately make a change in a place. That’s what stood out for me in this entire journey, and of course, spending all the time that I did with Bomman and Bellie and being a part of this beautiful relationship and bond that they share.”
Watch The Elephant Whisperers Trailer
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The Elephant Whisperers is streaming on Netflix.
Also read: The Elephant Whisperers Review: Invisible Language of Love