It’s a big win for Kiwi-Indian filmmaker Shreya Gejji, the producer and screenplay writer of the short film Perinayaki. The film has been judged New Zealand’s Best Short Film at the 11th annual New Zealand’s Best Short Film competition’s jury-awarded prizes during the NZ International Film Festival.
The director of the film, Bala Murali Shingade, also won the Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award, and Perianayaki actor Jeyagowri Sivakumaran’s performance also earned a special mention.
Perianayaki is a short film about a recent non-English speaking Sri Lankan immigrant woman in her 50s who struggles to fit in and build meaningful relationships with her limited grasp of English.
Speaking to Indian Weekender from Melbourne, Australia, where she is attending the Melbourne Film Festival with two of her films (Kainga and Perianayaki), Shreya could not contain her excitement. “It was such an honour for the film to receive this award because as people of colour, we all know how hard it is to represent our stories and stories from our communities, so this acknowledgement means a lot. It is also the first film I have written and produced so receiving the Best NZ Short Film award is just that much more special. "
The 30-year-old, who has been living in NZ for the past 15 years, says she feels the win is not only hers and the director's but also for the wider Indian community. She feels that it is encouraging that Indian films are being recognised beyond Bollywood.
“I want people to realise that there is much more to Indian cinema and filmmaking than just Bollywood. It is great to receive this recognition from NZIFF but it’s really important that the Indian community supports local filmmakers like us and comes out to watch our films in full strength. It signals to funders that we are here and our stories matter.”
Lastly, she is hopeful that this win for her film will pave help the next generation of Indian filmmakers in NZ. “We stand on the shoulders of giants - there have been so many filmmakers before us who paved the way on this path, and I hope that this win opens the door a little more for the next generation of Indian filmmakers in New Zealand,” she signs off.
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