‘Ancessao’ also bags the Best Short Film Award in Toronto

In a remarkable achievement for the Konkani film industry, ‘Ancessao’ has been awarded the Best Short Film Award at the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) in Toronto. 

This news follows closely on the heels of Prashanti Talpankar being honoured as the Best Actor at the same festival, highlighting a successful outing for the film and its cast.

The announcement was made late yesterday evening, marking a significant moment for the 30-minute short film directed, written, and shot by Manguirish Bandodkar. ‘Ancessao’ was screened at the festival on October 14 and stood out as the only Konkani film selected in the competitive category.

In its social media announcement, IFFSA stated: 

BEST International Short FILM – ANCESSAO by Manguirish Jagdish Bandodkar 

With striking wit and emotional insight, Ancessao paints a vivid portrait of solitude and small-town life. Blending humour with quiet melancholy, the film captures the rhythms of everyday existence and the longing that hides beneath idle chatter. Both tender and incisive, Ancessao stands out for its tonal balance, rich character work, and deeply human gaze.

The festival screened 120 films across 22 languages from various South Asian countries, with awards presented from among eight short films, each running 30 minutes, and 17 featurettes ranging from 15 to 30 minutes.

IT’S A COLLECTIVE: MANGUIRISH BANDODKAR

Manguirish Bandodkar expressed his elation at winning two prestigious awards at a renowned international festival, attributing the success to his entire cast and crew, which comprised nearly 100 individuals, including 33 actors. 

“Perhaps for the first time, a short film is made with such a vast cast. The movie was filmed for eight days in the three villages of Chandor, Curtorim, and Cuncolim,” he noted.

He emphasised the uncommon dedication involved in the project, saying, 

“Normally, so many days are not spent with such a huge number of cast and crew for a 30-minute-long short film. But we wanted to make a film near-perfect, giving equal importance to direction, cinematography, locations, sets, costumes, music, lyrics, and editing. Though people were chosen for their specific responsibilities, they also took on multiple other jobs voluntarily. That’s why it’s an award to the Collective, and multitasking was the key.”

At just 33 years old, Bandodkar, who honed his skills at Vinsan Film Academy, has been developing ‘Ancessao’ since 2022. He initially faced challenges in securing funding, but eventually found a producer, Dr K K Sanzgiri, who came on board to finance the film.

In contrast to the typical approach of developing a storyline and subsequently selecting an appropriate character, Bandodkar explained that they took an alternative route. They began by identifying Prashanti Talpankar as their focal point and then crafted a narrative to fit her. Talpankar, in turn, infused the story with her unique perspective, further enhancing it.

With this impressive recognition on an international stage, the Konkani film industry and its young creative talent continue to demonstrate that Goa is making significant strides in cinema, despite having embarked on its creative journey only in the last two decades.

CAST & CREW OF ‘ANCESSAO’

Cast

Prashanti Talpankar

Surekha Bandodkar

Pratik Vijay Kharate

Amreza De Oliveira

Frany Fernandes

Joella Pereira

Sushma Mhamal

Sonam Balkrishna Chari

Mahim Sinai Bhandari

Shefali Naik

Gautam Damle

Reshma Naik

Krishna Vernekar

Saharsh Naik

Shelton Victor De Melo

Antonet De Souza

Bipin Budhalkar

Sharon Mazarello

Gauri Kamat

Eddy De Souza Tavares

Gautam Sharma

Pritesh S. Patil

Harish Chari

Samir S. Naik

Satish Gaonkar

Abhijit Palkar

Gaurav Patade

Manoj Borkar

Jude Fernandes

Director/ Writer/ Cinematographer

Manguirish J. Bandodkar 

 

Writer/ Executive Producer/ Line Producer/ Assistant Art Director/ Creative Director 

Alton Coutinho 

 

Casting Director/ Executive Producer/Production Manager/ Actor 

Pritesh S. Patil

 

Art Director/ Actor 

Satish Gaonkar 

 

Assistant Art Director/ Actor 

Abhijit Palkar

 

Make-up/ Hairstyle 

Samiksha Karmalkar Harji 

 

Costume 

Prajakta Kavlekar 

 

Costume Assistant 

Ashlesha Naik

 

2nd Unit Cinematographer/ Editor/ Data Management/ Production Assistant

Sameer Adkonkar

 

BTS & Continuity 

Siddesh S. Naik

 

Technical Supervisor/ Script Inputs 

Amogh Barve

 

Assistant Art Director & Designs 

Ashish Divkar

 

Lyricist/ Translator & Subtitles/ Composer/ Singer/Script Inputs

Umesh M. Sardessai

 

Singers 

Queeny Fernandes and Savio Rodrigues 

 

Composer/ Singer/ Music Director 

Mukesh Ghatwal

 

Transport/ Production

Yash Adiverkar

 

Chief AD 

Gautam Sharma

 

Sync Sound 

Dattaprasad Desai

 

Sound Design  

Abhishek Nair & Shijin Melvin Hutton

 

Co-Writer 

Ashish Nagvenkar

 

RJ Voice Over 

Shakuntala Bharne

 

Associate Production/ Actor 

Mahim Sinai Bhandari

 

Producer  

Dr. KK Sanzgiri

 

Co-Producer  

Pravin P. Parker