11 hours ago
‘Unheard Echoes' wins first edition award of Rs one lakh
Bengaluru: 'Unheard Echoes' wins first edition award of Rs one lakh'Unheard Echoes', a Kannada short film by director Kavitha B Naik, won the prestigious ₹1 lakh cash 'Avala Hejje' festival grand prize at the first edition of Avala Hejje Women's Kannada Short Film Festival, organised by Gubbivani Trust.
The festival, which showcased eight compelling short films, drew a full house. A lively Q&A session with the featured filmmakers engaged the audience, who asked thoughtful questions and showed strong support for them.
Kavitha B Naik, a filmmaker and theatre artist from Kaduru, Chikkamagalur district, is a graduate of 'Baduku Community College'. She has previously worked as Assistant Director on the feature film 'Hadinelentu'. With Unheard Echoes , Kavitha continues her commitment to telling impactful stories rooted in women's lived experiences. The film also received the Audience Choice Award , a testament to its strong emotional connection with viewers.
Among the special category winners was Kshama Ambekallu, whose short film ' Pushpa ' received the Student Filmmaker Special Category Prize. A native of Sullia, Dakshina Kannada district, Kshama is pursuing a in Visual Communication at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Mysuru.
Three other films, each by first-time filmmakers, also received cash prizes for their outstanding work: 'The Last Happy Customer' (2024), directed by Mandara Battalahalli , 'Cakewalk' (2025), directed by Sinchana Shylesh and 'Online' (2025), directed by Sathya Pramodha MS.
The festival also showcased 'Neerellavoo Teertha' (2025), a short film produced by Renuka Yallappa Malligar, a woman farmer from Haveri district, under the non-competitive category.
A key highlight of the festival was a panel discussion titled 'Finding the Female Voice in Kannada Cinema', moderated by journalist Sunayana Suresh. The panel featured acclaimed filmmaker Roopa Rao ('Gantu Moote'), founder-director of Tent Cinema School Shobha CS and chief guest D Suman Kittur. Roopa Rao spoke candidly about the gendered biases she has faced in the film industry: 'Financiers and distributors would often speak directly to my male assistants instead of addressing me.' She emphasized that only 'madness and passion' keep filmmakers going in spite of repeated rejections and financial hardships.
Suman Kittur shared a funny anecdote about a financier who refused to fund her project because their horoscopes did not match — a surreal but telling example of the irrational barriers that continue to exist for filmmakers.
'This is not just a short film festival – it is a movement to provide a platform for women's experiences and perspectives and to promote gender equality,' said Malavika Gubbivani - Founder Trustee. 'We are very encouraged by the success of the first edition of this festival. We are looking forward to even wider participation from women across Karnataka next year. ' added Shanthala Damle - Festival Director.
