Kartiki Gonsalves (born 2 November 1986) is an Indian director and producer. In 2023, she won the Best Documentary Short Subject at the 95th Academy Awards for The Elephant Whisperers. She is also one of the first women chosen as a Sony Alpha Artisan of Imagery in India and also associated with brands like Peak Design, Swarovski Optik Nature Explorer 2021.
Gonsalves is a documentary filmmaker and photographer[4] and has worked as a camera operator for Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel.[5] She is the director, co-executive producer and cinematographer of the documentary film The Elephant Whisperers[4] produced by Sikhya Entertainment and acquired and distributed by Netflix.[6] The 39.5-minute[7] documentary was produced at the Mudumalai tiger reserve which is part of the Nilgiri biosphere reserve in Tamil Nadu, 30-minutes from where Gonsalves grew up.[3]
On 13 March 2023, the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[8] It was the first Indian film to win the award.[9]
Kartiki and Priscilla Gonsalves at the 95th Academy Awards
Kartiki Gonsalves is a Sony Artisan of Imagery India since 2020, specialising in nature and social documentaries.[10] She gives workshops on nature and wildlife photography[11] and has conducted tours of Bangalore and Mysore cities.[12] She travels widely for her work.[citation needed]
Gonsalves is an International League of Conservation Photographers Associate Fellow.[13]
On 28 June 2023 King Charles III and Queen Camilla presented Kartiki with the Elephant Family award called the Tara Award, to recognise her contributions to protecting Asian wildlife.
