Kartiki Gonsalves (born 2 November 1986) is an Indian director and producer. In 2023, she won the Best Documentary Short Subject at the 95th Academy Awards for The Elephant Whisperers. She is also one of the first women chosen as a Sony Alpha Artisan of Imagery in India and also associated with brands like Peak Design, Swarovski Optik Nature Explorer 2021.
Early life and education
Kartiki is the younger daughter of Timothy A. Gonsalves and Priscilla Tapley Gonsalves, who is from Binghamton, New York. She has one older sister, Danica Gonsalves.[1] She grew up in Ooty, within the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.[2][3]
She studied at the Dr G R Damodaran College of Science in Coimbatore and graduated in 2007, before continuing her studies, focusing on photography[2] at Light & Life Academy, Ooty.[4]
Career
Gonsalves is a documentary filmmaker and photographer[5] and has worked as a camera operator for Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel.[6] She is the director, co-executive producer and cinematographer of the documentary film The Elephant Whisperers[5] produced by Sikhya Entertainment and acquired and distributed by Netflix.[7] The 39.5-minute[8] documentary was produced at the Mudumalai tiger reserve which is part of the Nilgiri biosphere reserve in Tamil Nadu, 30-minutes from where Gonsalves grew up.[3]
On 13 March 2023, the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[9] It was the first Indian film to win the award.[10]
Kartiki Gonsalves is a Sony Artisan of Imagery India since 2020, specialising in nature and social documentaries.[11] She gives workshops on nature and wildlife photography[12] and has conducted tours of Bangalore and Mysore cities.[13]
Gonsalves is an International League of Conservation Photographers Associate Fellow.[14]
Awards
| Award | Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Template:Refh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOC NYC | 2022 | The Elephant Whisperers | Shorts: Change Makers | Shortlisted | [15] |
| 95th Academy Awards | 2023 | The Elephant Whisperers | Best Documentary Short Subject | style="text-align:center;" Template:Won | [9] |
| Grierson Awards | 2023 | The Elephant Whisperers | Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary | Shortlisted | [16] |
On 28 June 2023 King Charles III and Queen Camilla presented Kartiki with the Elephant Family award called the Tara Award, to recognise her contributions to protecting Asian wildlife.[17]
See also
References
- ↑ Priscilla and Timothy Gonsalves. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kamala Thiagarajan (5 March 2023) 'The Elephant Whisperers' — An Oscar-nominated love story about people and pachyderms, Template:Webarchive NPR
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 How Kartiki Gonsalves Made Oscar-Nominated Documentary The Elephant Whisperers: "Fell In Love With Raghu", Chatterjee, Saibal. NDTV(23 February 2023). Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ Kartiki Gonsalves. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Oscar-Nominated Doc Shorts Directors Tell Big Stories (Video), Hill, Libby. The Wrap(2023-02-27). Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ↑ Most of my life has been spent in Ooty and jungles: Kartiki Gonsalves if it took 15 to 20 years to make The Elephant Whispers, Bharat, Divya. Divya Bharat(2023-03-02). Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ Katie Reul, Documenting Change. Variety, [s. l.], v. 359, n. 5, p. 23, 2023. Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=161981277&site=eds-live&scope=site . Acesso em: 10 Mar. 2023.
- ↑ Watch | Director Kartiki Gonsalves on the making of Oscar-nominated 'The Elephant Whisperers'. The Hindu(2023-03-08). Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 India wins its first Oscar of 2023 as Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga's 'The Elephant Whisperer' bags an award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards. The Times of India(13 March 2023). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
- ↑ The Elephant Whisperers scripts history with 1st Oscar for an Indian production, Guneet Monga says 'two women did it'. Hindustan Times(2023-03-13). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
- ↑ Kartiki Gonsalves. Sony Alpha Community(2020). Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ Up Your Photography Game with iPhone 13. Aptronix(9 April 2022). Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ Meet the wildlife photographer from Bengaluru who doubles as city tour guide. The Economic Times(11 April 2018). Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ↑ Meet the new Associate Fellows of iLCP. International League of Conservation Photographers. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ Shortlist Shorts: Change Makers. Doc NYC. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ↑ 2023 Awards: The 2023 Grierson Awards Shortlist is revealed. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ↑ Elephant Whisperers’ Director Kartiki Gonsalves Gets Prestigious Tara Award. NDTV(2023-07-01). Retrieved 2025-08-13.