Kannada film Pinki Elli (Where is Pinki) won two awards at the latest edition of the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF). The feature film won the Best Screenplay award, while its lead actor Akshatha Pandavapura bagged the Best Actor award. Pinki Elli was the opening feature film for the 21st edition of NYIFF, which kicked off virtually on June 4. Helmed by Prithvi Konanur, the Kannada film was also nominated for the Best Film category. The thriller first premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2020 and later released on November 8, 2020, in India.
The NYIFF is a film festival that is dedicated to showcasing feature, documentary, and short films made in India or about India by independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. It is one of the oldest film festivals in New York that features Indian cinema.
Pinki Elli follows the story of a young mother, essayed by Akshatha, who returns to find her infant daughter, Pinki, and the nanny missing. As she and her husband Girish (Anoop Shoonya) begin to search for the duo, the couple is confronted by their past, present and future. According to reports, the award-winning director, Konanur, said that his aim was to hold a mirror to society through this social realist film. Scores of film critics applauded the Kannada film for the same reason.
#JustIn: Congrats Team #PinkiElli? 4 winning two awards at the @nyindianff. Best Actress 2 #AkshathaPandavapura 4 her riveting performance as a working mother & Best Screenplay 2 @PrithviKonanur 4 a fabulous script. @DeccanHerald #Sandalwood #Karnataka #Cinema #ಪಿಂಕಿಎಲ್ಲಿ? pic.twitter.com/XXvAmA4LR5
— Niranjan Kaggere (@nkaggere) June 13, 2021
Apart from Pinki Elli, three other Kannada films, including a short film, were screened at the film festival — Koli Taali, Pinni and Neeli Hakki, reported Deccan Herald. Helmed by debutante Abhilash Shetty, Koli Taali is a satire based in the Western Ghats, meanwhile, Neeli Hakki (Blue Bird) is a child-centric film directed by Ganesh Hegde, which showcases globalisation from a 10-year-old's perspective. Pinni maker Bhuvan Satya was quoted in the report as saying that he wanted to showcase the nativity of Mysuru through his short film.
Pre Orders are on! #NYIFF 2021 is delighted to bring the social thriller Where is Pinki? /Pinki Elli as their Opening Night film!
— New York Indian Film Festival (@nyindianff) May 22, 2021
Book now at : https://t.co/kEQoGhINmT@PrithviKonanur | @rkkaulsr#whereispinki #pinkielli #kannadafilm #kannada #indiancinema #indianfilm #nyiff pic.twitter.com/6ceRv6J18R
The New York Indian Film Festival 2021 was presented by the Indo-American Arts Council. The virtual edition screened Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless, a documentary on Mahatma Gandhi, which was shot by Ramesh Sharma. It also showcased The Music of Satyajit Ray to mark the birth anniversary of its director, Utpalendu Chakrabarty.
Watch the trailer of the film Pinki Elli here