FINAS wants to collaborate with Oscar winner, Kartiki Gonsalves
Mac 16, 2024
Azmir (left) presents a souvenir to Kartiki Gonsalves after the closing ceremony of the Documentary Masterclass with the Oscar Winner (Best Documentary), on Friday.
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (FINAS) intends to collaborate with the director of the documentary film The Elephant Whisperers, Kartiki Gonsalves, to bring the local documentary production industry to the international level.
The Chief Executive Officer of FINAS, Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib, said that the collaboration with Kartiki, who was an Oscar winner at the 95th Academy Award last year, will bring positive synergy and impact on the Malaysian film industry.
He said, understanding the process and business network is the key in producing the best documentary overall.
"The knowledge gained from the production journey of The Elephant Whisperers, during pre-production to the Oscar campaign, is inspiring and can shape the future of documentary film production in Malaysia.
"The leading partnership of the documentary, its director Kartiki and Krish Makhija as director of photography and editor Sanchari Molick Das, can be a valuable guide for local documentary makers, to pioneer success at the international level," he said in a statement after the closing ceremony of the Expert Class (Masterclass). Documentary with the Oscar Winner (Best Documentary) at the MyIPO Auditorium, here, on Friday.
Azmir said, in his talk, Kartiki also advised filmmakers to always strive to produce films that can attract all audiences such as nature and wild animal life, even though such projects take a long time to complete.
In addition, Kartiki also shared his experience that it took six years to complete The Elephant Whisperers and went through various challenges including being rejected by Netflix India, before finally being accepted by Netflix Asia-Pacific.
The program jointly organized by FINAS and Universal Zest Sdn Bhd starting last Monday, was attended by 85 participants from various backgrounds and experiences in the local creative industry.
Also giving a talk at the program was a local documentary producer, Ahmad Yazid, who has over 20 years of experience in producing documentaries for the local and international markets. - BERNAMA
