Producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves were on cloud nine at the Oscars 2023 with their emphatic win in Best Document Short Film category. They won the Oscar for their film The Elephant Whisperers. Kartiki and Guneet took center stage at the 95th Academy Awards as they accepted the trophy for the Tamil documentary. Kartiki dedicated her award to her ‘motherland India’ while Guneet dedicated the award to women.
In her winning speech, Kartiki said, “I stand here today to speak on the sacred bond between us and our natural world. For the respect of indigenous communities, for entity towards other living beings, we share our space with. And finally for co-existence. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing our film highlighting indigenous people and animals. To Netflix for believing in the power of this film. To Guneet, my producer and my entire team and finally, to my mother, father and sister who are up there somewhere, you’re the centre of my universe. To My motherland India.” On the other hand, Guneet said, "To all the women watching…. The future is audacious and the future is here Let’s go!"
With utmost gratitude, we are thrilled to announce that ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ has won The Academy Award for ‘Best Documentary Short'#AcademyAwards #Oscars #Oscars95 #TEW #TheElephantWhisperers #IndiaatOscars pic.twitter.com/sqBHOywGOO
— Sikhya Entertainment (@sikhyaent) March 13, 2023
The Elephant Whisperer bested other nominees like Haul Out, How Do You Measure A Year?, The Martha Mitchell Effect and Stranger At the Gate. The Elephant Whisperer’s plot revolves around a family who adopts two orphan baby elephants in Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
My heart is full of love and excitement, most of it imbibed from everyone in India cheering for our win.
So grateful to the visionary filmmaker @EarthSpectrum and to @netflix who gave us the biggest stage in the world. This is for my beautiful, diverse country, India. #Oscar pic.twitter.com/yq6bur69LH
— Guneet Monga (@guneetm) March 13, 2023
The film is the first Indian production to win an Oscar. The Elephant Whisperers is streaming on Netflix.
Congratulations to @EarthSpectrum, @guneetm and the entire team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ for this honour. Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature. #Oscars https://t.co/S3J9TbJ0OP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the team on their win.
Congratulations to @EarthSpectrum, @guneetm and the entire team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ for this honour. Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature. #Oscars https://t.co/S3J9TbJ0OP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023
(Source: Twitter)
