Kartiki Gonsalves is an Indian filmmaker and photojournalist who won the 95th Academy Award on March 13, 2023 for the short film The Elephant Whisperer (2022) It became the focus of attention when it won the Best Documentary Short Film Award.
Wiki/Biography
Kartiki Selena Gonsalves was born on Sunday, November 2, 1986 (age 36; as of 2022) in Ooty, Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India. Her zodiac sign is Scorpio. She completed her schooling at St. Hilda’s School and Junior College, Ooty, and St. Michael’s College. In 2004, she enrolled in Dr. GR Damodaran College of Science (Autonomous), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, where she pursued Bachelor of Science in Design and Visual Communication in 2007. She pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Photography and Filmmaking from Light & Life and studied at Tamil Nadu College from 2007 to 2008. There she was trained in the use of cameras by Iqbal Mohamed.
Childhood photos of Katiki Gonsalves and his father
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′4″
Hair color: black
Eye color: dark brown
family
Kartiki Gonsalves was born into a Christian family in Tamil Nadu.
Parents and siblings
Her father, Timothy Aloysius Gonsalves, is a computer engineer and dean of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT-Mandi). Her mother, Priscilla Tapley Gonsalves, holds a PhD in Eastern European history and is of American descent. She has a younger sister named Danica Gonsalves.
Kartiki Gonsalves (seated, center) with her mother, father and sister
address
Kartiki Gonsalves lives at Windermere, 23 Ethiraj Road, Door 3/142, Plot 9, VGP 1st Main Road, Ooty – 643001, Tamil Nadu, India.
Profession
Talking about the start of her career in an interview, she said she worked in advertising after completing her formal education. She later gave up this career and took up wildlife photography. However, she gave up wildlife photography and started working as a filmmaker as she could not see any future, especially in India. Later, she started working as a tour guide in Bangalore to make ends meet. Talking about this, she said,
After graduation I started getting involved in the advertising industry. Eventually I quit my job to support myself by pursuing wildlife and social documentary photography and working as a tour guide. But I soon realized that photography, my area of interest, didn’t have much space in India at this time. I realized that filmmaking was a tool I could use to reach the world… I believed in the power of strong images to change minds.
In September 2008, after completing her formal education, Kartiki Gonsalves started working as a design and photography consultant at IIT Madras Foundation. She worked there until July 2009. From July 2009 to February 2010, she worked as a store manager at Fabindia Overseas Pvt Ltd, Bangalore. Thereafter, she joined a gym in Bangalore where she worked as an assistant. She joined Zela Luxury Health Clubs, Bangalore in February 2010 as Head of Design and Photography/Head of Customer Service. She worked there until November 2010. In August 2011, she joined a Bangalore-based advertising agency called Black Coffee Advertising, where she worked as an art director and photographer until September 2014. From August 2014 to October 2015, she worked at Fisheye Creative Solutions in Bangalore as a Senior Art Director. Kartiki started her journey as a photographer while still in school. She wrote in an article that she initially took photos with her parents’ point-and-shoot cameras and Minolta cameras. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she started taking photos using Canon EOS TI and Fuji Finepix digital cameras. In September 2016, she was named a CoalitionWILD Ambassador. She started working at Sony as an imaging craftsman in April 2018. She has since been appointed Sony Imaging Ambassador for the Sony Alpha camera series. On December 31, 2018, she founded Earth Spectrum, a platform to raise awareness about nature and culture in Mumbai, and serves as the Director of Operations. In January 2019, Wildcraft India appointed Karitki Gonsalves as its brand ambassador. In January 2020, she began working with Peak Design as its ambassador. In 2021, she began collaborating with the Austrian company Swarovski Optik to produce different types of optical instruments. Later, she received an offer to work as a photographer in a wildlife documentary filmed in Uttarakhand. In an interview, she talked about the documentary and said that since she had never taken a video with a camera, she learned how to use a camera in the process of making the movie.
Kartiki during the shoot
She also served as photographer for an episode titled “Asian Black Bears” on the National Geographic Channel’s premiere series “On the Edge.”
Kartiki Gonsalves on the set of “Asian Black Bears”
She has produced conservative documentaries such as Metaphor Island – A Pattern of Survival in the Nilgiri Highlands and My Morram: The Green Heart of Goa: Goans’ Fight to Save Their Forests and Livelihoods. Kartiki Gonsalves debuted with the 2022 short film The Elephant Whiperers, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short in 2023. The film depicts the relationship between tribal couple Boman and Bailey and their elephants Boomi and Raghu. The Elephant Whisperer is the first Indian short documentary to win an Oscar. The film premiered on Netflix and is produced by Guneet Monga. In his acceptance speech at the Oscars, Gonsalves said,
I stand here today to talk about our sacred connection to the natural world. To respect indigenous communities. To other living entities with which we share our space. Finally achieve coexistence. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing our films that highlight indigenous people and animals. Kudos to Netflix for believing in the power of this film. To my producer Guneet and my entire team and lastly, to my parents and sister, you are the center of my universe. Dedicated to my motherland India. ” 
In an interview, when asked about her upcoming projects, Katiki said she was working on a film based on the relationship between killer whales and their handlers.
dispute
Bomman and Bellie Legal Statement
In August 2023, Boman and Bailey sent a legal notice to Kartiki Goncalves seeking a “goodwill gesture” worth Rs 100 crore. 2 Crores. The legal notice was issued by Pravin Raj, a social activist and practicing lawyer in Chennai. Raj talked about this in an interview and said:
Both Boman and Bailey were disappointed in Gonsalves, who promised them financial help while filming the film and to help with the education of Bailey’s granddaughter. But she now refuses to donate even a fraction of the huge profits the film made. ”
Awards and Honors
- On March 13, 2023, Kartiki Gonsalves won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short for the film “The Elephant Whisperer”. She shared the award with Guneet Monga.
Kartiki Gonsalves poses with Oscar winner
- Kartiki Gonsalves is a Research Associate at the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP).
Facts/Trivia
- Kartiki Gonsalves is a traveler (someone who likes to travel) and has been to many countries.
- Kartiki Gonsalves is an avid animal lover. She has a pet dog named Rusty. She also has a Belgian Malinois named Delany and a cat.
Photos of her pet Belgian Malionis and pet cat
- Her favorite cinematographers include Emmanuel Lubezki, Terrence Malick, Louis Sihoyos, Orlando von Einsiedel, Jeff Orlovsky , David Attenborough. Gabriella Cowperthwaite and Ron Frick.
- Kartiki Gonsalves has written about wildlife and culture for well-known newspapers and magazines including The Hindu and National Geographic. In 2020, she published an article titled “The Place in the Middle,” which was set in a small village called Turtuk, close to the Line of Control (LOC).
Kartiki Gonsalves and the children of Turtuk
- Kartiki Gonsalves along with Bomman and Bellie from Elephant Whisperer visited MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai on May 9, 2023. MS Dhoni was there to present personalized jerseys to them.
On May 9, 2023, Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni presented a personalized jersey to Kartiki Gonsalves
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education