Last year the Oscars belonged to Slumdog Millionaire. The film managed to bag many major awards including Best Director and Best Film at the prestigious ceremony. After that, there was no looking back; India has been recognized for its greatness and immense talent within the cinematic arena. In 2010, once again India will be represented with Kavi. The short film has been nominated for best film in the Short Film (Live Action) category and is all of nineteen minutes.
Directed, written and produced by Gregg Helvey, the film follows the life of a young boy named Kavi who prefers to play cricket and wants to go to school, but is forced to work in a brick kiln. Eager and ready to do whatever it takes to fulfill his dream, Kavi does everything in his power to ensure his dream is not shattered.
According to the director, who won a gold medal for the film, the small but big film has managed to gain much recognition in the independent film world. His message for the film was clear, “My goal is to reach at least 50,000 people with Kavi in the first year. The purpose is to motivate action through awareness. To such an end, I will collaborate with anti-slavery organizations that will link viewers to actual steps they can take to help end slavery. Additionally, this short film is the springboard to a feature length version for theatrical distribution.”
Producer Guneet Monga says, “Kavi was a great script and Gregg the director and John the DOP put in a lot of effort to make it in Hindi. Kavi would not have been possible without SAGAR the young boy, the main actor. We had cast him from the slums of Oshiwara after auditioning more than 100 kids. He is truly a brilliant actor. Also a lot of assistance came by the crew where they put in their heart and soul in Kavi, Its not just a film, it is a mission against slavery and bonded labor.”
Be sure to watch the Academy Awards on March 7th to cheer for this film to win big on the special night.
