Express News Service
Ganesh Hegde’s directorial debut Neeli Hakki (Blue Bird) will be among the three Kannada films to be a part of the virtual screening at this year’s New York Indian Film Festival, to be held between June 4 and 13. For the first-time director, screening his film at the NYIFF is a huge opportunity. “Films like Ondu Motteya Kathe, Lucia, Gantu Moote were screened at this festival, which later opened up avenues for commercial success. We hope to follow suit,” says Ganesh.
The director intended to debut with a simple and honest storytelling form, and the result is Neeli Hakki. The movie traces the journey of a 10-year-old boy who chooses his roots over his parents’ greed. “Globalisation is a very small part of the film, which is highlighted from the perspective of a 10-year-old. It discusses the kind of freedom or the rights given to a child,” says Ganesh.
Still from the movie
The movie is set in Wayanad and is about the feud between two families that has lasted generations
Filmmaker Nithin Lukose grew up listening to his grandmother narrate stories of people in the highlands of Wayanad. “My family moved here from Kottayam in the early 1950s. Her stories were about the hardships of the people who migrated in that era,” he says. These tales are the inspiration for him to make his début Malayalam feature film,
Paka: The River of Blood. The movie is set in Wayanad and is about the feud between two families that has lasted generations.“The place and the Orattu river there play very important roles in the film. As I am familiar with the place, choosing this as my setting felt right,” he says.