The Kannada short film “Unheard Echoes”, directed by Kavitha B Naik, won the ₹1 lakh Grand Prize at the inaugural Avala Hejje Women’s Kannada Short Film Festival, organised by Gubbivani Trust.
The festival featured eight short films and drew a full audience. A Q&A session with the participating filmmakers saw active engagement from viewers, who posed thoughtful questions and expressed strong support.
Director Kavitha B Naik, a filmmaker and theatre artist from Kaduru, Chikkamagalur district, is an alumna of Baduku Community College and has previously worked as Assistant Director on the feature film Hadinelentu. With Unheard Echoes, she continues to explore stories grounded in women’s lived experiences. The film also received the Audience Choice Award, reflecting its impact on the viewers.
In the special category, Kshama Ambekallu won the Student Filmmaker Special Category Prize for her short film Pushpa. Hailing from Sullia, Dakshina Kannada district, she is currently pursuing a B.Sc. in Visual Communication at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Mysuru.
Three other debut filmmakers received cash prizes for their works:
The Last Happy Customer (2024), directed by Mandara Battalahalli
Cakewalk (2025), directed by Sinchana Shylesh
Online (2025), directed by Sathya Pramodha M.S.
The non-competitive category included Neerellavoo Teertha (2025), produced by Renuka Yallappa Malligar, a woman farmer from Haveri district.
A panel discussion titled “Finding the Female Voice in Kannada Cinema”, moderated by journalist Sunayana Suresh, was a key highlight. The panel included filmmaker Roopa Rao (Gantu Moote), Shobha C. S., founder-director of Tent Cinema School, and chief guest D. Suman Kittur.
Roopa Rao spoke about gender bias in the industry, recounting how financiers and distributors would often direct their conversations to her male assistants rather than to her. She stressed that “madness and passion” are what keep filmmakers persistent despite obstacles.
Suman Kittur shared an incident where a financier declined her project, citing mismatched horoscopes—a reminder of the irrational challenges filmmakers can face.
“This is not just a short film festival – it is a movement to provide a platform for women’s experiences and perspectives and to promote gender equality,” said Malavika Gubbivani, Founder Trustee.
“We are very encouraged by the success of the first edition of this festival. We are looking forward to even wider participation from women across Karnataka next year,” added Shanthala Damle, Festival Director.
