The 24-minute short film titled Kamali that revolves around 8-year-old Kamali Moorthy, the only girl skateboarder from Mahabalipuram has qualified for Oscars 2020. The film directed by Sasha Rainbow from New Zealand narrates the story of Suganthi, Kamali’s single mother, who sells fish and is the epitome of women power as she fights against the odds to raise her daughter and fulfill her wish.
Kamali Moorthy; (R) with director Sasha Rainbow
Chennai:
In an earlier interview with DT Next, director of the film Sasha said, “I had proposed filming Indian girls skateboarding as the theme for a video I was shooting in India. I had seen a photo of Kamali skating barefoot down a ramp and knew she had to be part of the video. Little did I know that it would be her and her mother, Suganthi’s first trip out of their fishing village in Mahabs. Kamali and her mother stayed with me and the crew and speaking with her really opened my mind to what dedication and bravery women take to break the cycle of tradition and repression. Their story needed to be shared, because Kamali is the prime example of a little girl being given the freedom to be herself, and what a delight it is to see.”
The director added that Suganthi has been supportive of anything that might give her daughter greater opportunities and experiences. “When I approached them for the film, they were happy to do it.”
The short film had earlier won Best Director Award at the Mumbai International short film in 2018. After winning top honours at the Atlanta Film Festival, the short film, has now qualified for Oscars 2020.
In an earlier interview with DT Next, director of the film Sasha said, “I had proposed filming Indian girls skateboarding as the theme for a video I was shooting in India. I had seen a photo of Kamali skating barefoot down a ramp and knew she had to be part of the video. Little did I know that it would be her and her mother, Suganthi’s first trip out of their fishing village in Mahabs. Kamali and her mother stayed with me and the crew and speaking with her really opened my mind to what dedication and bravery women take to break the cycle of tradition and repression. Their story needed to be shared, because Kamali is the prime example of a little girl being given the freedom to be herself, and what a delight it is to see.”
The director added that Suganthi has been supportive of anything that might give her daughter greater opportunities and experiences. “When I approached them for the film, they were happy to do it.”