As the day of departure nears, MONU grows despondent but his best friend RAJU is determined to give him the best parting gift he can think of – a view of SHERA.

Why I made the film

Where are you from?

As a second-generation migrant in Mumbai, I faced that question often. The film is an ode to millions of migrants, including my parents.

We’ve shot in my village, with non-actors – everyone from the kids to the villagers – to make a film that showcases not just the landscape but also people of the land, a snapshot of a village very much in decline, with every new summer, seeing the migration of yet more of its inhabitants. The film, is thus, an ode to that village, to many such villages, strewn across India.

It’s also about people who’ve learnt to live amicably with a leopard, a wild cat, something unbelievable in a time when we’ve all grown so intolerant of each other.

Finally, it’s a story of friendship, of losing one’s home and childhood, the end of a chapter in the story of life.

Key festivals the film has screened at

• LA Shorts International Film Festival
• 40th Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
• 16th KUKI Young Short Film Festival Berlin
• International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala
• 46th Drama International Short Film Festival

Awards

Bulbul Children’s International Film Festival (2024) – Best Director Award, Short Film Competition.

Sonsi (Shadow Bird)

Sonsi is my first film as a writer, director. Films have always been a refuge for me. I started watching cinema at a very early age and I inevitably felt at home watching films that had a unique way of telling a story. The form always intrigued me. I was drawn to folklores, oral tradition of story-telling, fantastical stories, science fiction and fables. This idea was germinating in my head for a really long time. In many ways it is me revisiting my childhood and all the influences and my collective memories of growing up. So I wove a fable of my own of a timeless world, of a mystic Indian village where it never stops raining, where you won’t see any human footprint except the four characters in the film.

I call this film a Film Fable. My effort was a create an experiential and immersive film that transports everyone to a time in your life where time moved slowly. It looks at memory of childhood and the fantastical and absurd tales our minds would weave about seemingly mundane events. I really very intuitively arrived at this form where poetry, images, memory, melancholia, senses, early morning dreams are explored through experimenting with time and space. References from my favourite authors, filmmakers, painters came in beautifully and found a special place in my first work. For example, the name of the bird ‘Sonsi’ comes from prominent Hindi writer, Vinod Kumar Shukl’sDeewar mein ek khidki rehti thi. The female protagonist in the novel is called ‘Sonsi’. I was struggling to find an apt name for the Shadow Bird till the night before the shoot. I wanted the name to be phonetic and not very deep and metaphorical. I was thinking on the lines of ‘the golden bird’ and then suddenly I remembered Sonsi from my most favourite novel and it was apt. I was glad that very organically the name came and I could give my little tribute to Shukl ji whose work has had a big impact on me. Andrei Tarkovasky’s cinema has always been very close to my heart and you will see the reflections of his language in my form.

Director Note ‘Why i made this film’?

Sonsi (Shadow Bird)

This idea was germinating in my head for a really long time. In many ways it is me revisiting my childhood and all the influences and my collective memories of growing up. So I wove a fable of my own, of a timeless world, of a mystic Indian village where it never stops raining, where you won’t see any human footprint except the four characters in the film.

I call this film a Film Fable. My effort was to create an experiential and immersive film that transports everyone to a time in your life where time moves slowly. It looks at memories of childhood and the fantastical and absurd tales our minds would weave about seemingly mundane events. I really intuitively arrived at this form where poetry, images, memory, melancholia, senses, early morning dreams are explored through experimenting with time and space.

A list of Awards the film has won at National & International Festivals:

1. WINNER – BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Non Feature) – 67th National Film Awards
2. WINNER – BEST FILM (Indian Competition) – BISFF Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2021
3. WINNER – BEST SHORT FILM – Lady Filmmakers Festival 2021
4. NOMINEE – BEST SHORT FILM – NYIFF New York Indian Film Festival 2021
5. NOMINEE – BEST SHORT FILM – NYIFF New York Indian Film Festival 2021
6. OFFICIAL SELECTION – Montecatini International Short Film Festival 2021
7. OFFICIAL SELECTION – IFFSA Toronto 2021
8. OFFICIAL SELECTION – Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival 2021
9. OFFICIAL SELECTION – Dharamshala International Film Festival

By Kristina Usaite

Through the depths of my grief, I channeled the raw intensity of my emotions, pouring them into the creation of this short film “Born to See”. The character’s essence is deeply intertwined with my own mother, who serves as the ultimate source of inspiration. By fearlessly embracing vulnerability, I harnessed the power of my pain and transformed it into healing within the story I’ve created. Even though the story does not center around grief, it delves into the profound bond shared between a mother and her child.

We lived in Ukraine, enduring poverty, yet my mother enriched our lives with love and resilience. She taught me to see and I made sure to bring that part of her into the character and in her journey, she eagerly embraces the role of guiding her blind child. With unwavering confidence, she demonstrates the wonders and beauty of the world. My ultimate objective was to elicit emotions of love and pain by using captivating visuals and characters, leading me toward a path of healing.

Key festivals the film has screened at

• Kalakari Film Fest – Official Selection
• BIMIFF – Winner “Best Director of Student Film”
• BIMIFF – Winner “Best Student Film”
• Monthly Indie Shorts – Winner “Best Student Film”
• Brooklyn College Undergraduate Film Festival – Winner
• Chain NYC Film Festival – Official Selection
• First-Time Filmmaker Sessions – Official Selection
• NewFilmmakers NY – Official Selection
• The Lift-Off Sessions – Official Selection
• Deptford Cinema Film Festival – Official Selection
• Ojai Short Film Fest – Semi-Finalist
• Unrestricted View Film Festival – Winner “Best Short”