Kamali, Documentary on TN Skateboarder Girl, Nominated for BAFTA

Kamali, the 24-minute long documentary that left its audiences teary-eyed made it to the BAFTA Nominations,  Hindustan Times reported. The short film is based on the life of a nine-year-old girl, Kamali Moorthy, who is the only skateboarder in her small village in Tamil Nadu. Currently residing in London, New Zealand born Sasha Rainbow has directed the movie. The story portrays the struggle of the girl's mother, Suganthi as she tries to liberate her children from the shackles of tradition and patriarchy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Sasha Rainbow's Kamali nominated for BAFTA Award.
• It is a 24-minute-long documentary portraying the story of a mother-daughter duo in Tamil Nadu.
• Kamali Moorthy is the sole skateboarder from her town, Mahabalipuram.

The film is nominated for the British Short Film category of the British Academy Film Awards organized by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is competing with 'Learning To Skateboard In A Warzone (If You’re A Girl)', the story of young Afghan girls learning to read, write and skateboard in Kabul, and Azaar, set in 1800s India and has Hindi-speaking protagonists.

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Suganthi wants her daughter to taste the freedom she did not have.

The Story

Initially, the London-based director had come to India to record a song Alpha Female with the British band, Wild Beasts. She wanted to feature Kamali and some other skateboarding girls in the country for the same. However, the determination of Kamali's mother motivated Rainbow to bring the story forward in the form of a documentary. Suganthi has claimed that when she sees her children, she knows that she doesn't want them to lead a life like hers. She sees them pursuing their dreams and not giving up to live by the standards of society. She wants her daughter to taste the freedom she did not have.

Kamali hails from the fishing town of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. Apart from being the sole skateboarder in her town, she also surfs and dreams of becoming a professional surfer and skateboarder. Furthermore, she has toured across the country along with professional skateboarding teams to promote the sport.

I think we’re really focused on celebrating the victories! To be longlisted for the Oscars is a huge honor and now we are BAFTA- nominated. I think we’ve gone further than all of our expectations.

Other Accolades

The film previously won at the Atlantic Film Festival and thus got a chance at the Oscars. However, it missed being in the shortlist for the same. Rainbow sounded extremely excited as she talked about the nomination. She said, “I think we’re really focused on celebrating the victories! To be longlisted for the Oscars is a huge honor and now we are BAFTA- nominated. I think we’ve gone further than all of our expectations.” Further, she added, "the news still hasn't sunk in."

Sasha won the Best Director Award at Mumbai International Short Film Festival in 2018.

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Saavriti is an intern with SheThePeople.TV