India created history at the just concluded 95th edition of the Academy Awards as The Elephant Whisperers clinched the Oscar for best documentary short film. The Elephant Whisperers marks Kartiki Gonsalves' directorial debut. The documentary follows a couple, Bomman and Bellie, who adopt two orphaned elephants in Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The film's producer Guneet Monga, whose Oscar speech was cut short at the ceremony, reacted to the film's big win on social media.
“My heart is full of love and excitement, most of it imbibed from everyone in India cheering for our win… This is for my beautiful, diverse country, India. To women who want to tell stories, the future of cinema is audacious, the future is here,” Guneet Monga said.
Lauding the film's director, she said: "This is an incredibly powerful and historical moment. We, as two women from India, stood on that global stage making this historical win. I'm so proud of this film, this moment and proud of my amazing team at Sikhya Entertainment, that an independent production house from India has made history to be the first ever Indian film by an Indian production to win an Oscar. My heart is racing with all the joy, love, and excitement at the moment. I'm so grateful to Kartiki, the wonderful visionary that she is."
Guneet also said that the future belongs to women. "Netflix gave us the biggest stage in the world and supported us and believed in us all the way. Today I can say, the future for Indian cinema is audacious and the future is here," she said.