Gayatri Kodikal

Flights of Sleeping Birds DV, 13', 2009 India

Tell me something about you and artistic background.
I had a strange obsession with making a make believe world around me when ever I could get an opportunity.As I grew older, the stories became more complex. So I learnt to play the Tabla.  I decided to do my graduation in psychology, not realizing that this would eventually lead me into the multilayered world of films. I studied Film and Video at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. I like aliens, fantasy and nonsense verse.

Tell me about this film, initial idea and work process.
This film could never have been made had i not heard the story of the ritual. I had heard the story a few years before I decided to make this film. It surfaced when I was trying to write a fiction about a supernatural experience. It served as a perfect source for me to actually go and experience a ritual that had supernatural qualities. When I reached the village of Sal in north Goa I was bombarded with lots of stories surrounding the ritual. I also noticed how everything had an eery perspective on nature. So when I was thinking of my characters and places of fantasy I took alot of inspiration from the forest. I like the world of Naive Art.

Are you working on new projects at the moment?
I am currently working on a script for a silhouette animation. Hopefully it will be done by the end of this year.

Do you have specific influences in your film/video making?
My filmmaking is very organic in form and process. I am inspired by the way Herzog approaches the reality around him and Maya Deren's poetics.

Why is it important for you to show your film/video in a festival?
There are very few avenues for shortfilm makers to exhibit their work. Festivals are a great space to share work with others.

What role do you think Oslo Screen Festival should have to promote your work?
It can help in connecting independent filmmakers to groups and communities that support further work.