Bengaluru filmmaker Anooya Swamy’s short film heads to Sundance Film Fest

Pankaja, a Kannada short film rooted in every day life and intimate memory, has been select ed for screening at the Sundance Film Festi val 2026 - making it the first Kannada short to make it to this global platform. Written and directed by Bengaluru-based filmmaker Anooya Swamy, the film follows a young mother along with her daughter, as she searches for her missing husband, unfolding as both a physical journey and an emotional reckoning with home, absence and resilience. However, Anooya tells us that the Sundance selec tion came as a shock. “I received the call while on a train and I remember I had ac cused the caller of lying before the connection dropped. I was freaking out alone on the train till I could actually confirm it,” she shares with a smile.
THE FILM IS BASED ON A RELATIONSHIP I’M REALLY FAMILIAR WITH: ANOOYA
For Anooya, Pankaja emerged from deeply per sonal terrain. While growing up in Bengaluru, she witnessed gradual shifts in her family’s cir cumstances. “My mother had me when she was 16,” she says. “Incidentally, the story is a part of my life, a small portion of my memory,” she ex plains. Rather than dramatise poverty or struggle, Pankaja stays attentive to the nu ances of a mother–daughter bond. “That familiarity is the emotional core of the film,” she adds. The filmmaking process too, was swift and instinctive. Anooya says she wrote the script towards the end of October last year and soon after met actor Harshini Boyalla. The intuitive approach extended to rehearsals as well, allow ing the relationship between the ac tors to develop organically. Now studying in New York, Anooya ad mits she once feared losing the abili ty to speak authentically about home. A mentor at NYU, filmmaker Kasi Lemmons, helped reframe that fear. “She remind ed me that my responsibility is to talk about women and our experiences and to keep the con fidence to speak about that feeling of home.”
IT FEELS LIKE A SMALL HUG SAYING YOUR WORK IS BEING RECOGNISED: HARSHINI
For Harshini Boyalla, who plays the young moth er, the journey was equally affirming. “I audi tioned without knowing much about the script — I just wanted to be honest, and I did that with this film,” she says. Building a bond with Padmashree (who plays her daughter) became central to her performance. For Harshini, Pankaja is a remind er that deeply local stories, told with honesty and care, can resonate far beyond their point of ori gin. “This just gives you hope to keep going. As actors, whether it’s theatre or films, you wake up every day and show up anyway. This feels like a sweet reward like a small hug saying, ‘Your work is being recognised. I’m excited that this will open up more possibilities for Anooya and me to collaborate with people we admire and do more meaningful work,” she says.

Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here

Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Merry Christmas wishes, messages and quotes !