Academy Winner Anisha Acharya on what made ‘Day One’ tick and what’s coming her way

Anisha Acharya, 30, from Odisha is making waves on international shores. A graduate from the American Film Institute, Los Angeles, Anisha and her team adapted a real life event into a 25-minute film called ‘Day One’. The film went on to win the Student Academy award (Student Oscar),  in the narrative category, last month and many other prestigious international awards.

The movie is about an Afghan- American woman, on the brink of a divorce, serving as an interpreter for the U.S army. On the first day of her job, she ends up having to deliver the baby of a woman from the enemy camp.

Anisha and team worked on the movie for their thesis at AFI, and Anisha edited the film, which was a strong contender with other films for expressing ‘human element’ in an intense way.

Anisha also has a degree in accessory design, from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore.

Folomojo got in touch with the budding artist and got a few answers to inspire many more:

1. How and why did your team choose to work on a storyline like Day One that’s based on a real incident?

“Day One” is one of the thesis films for my Masters in Editing at the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory. AFI has six disciplines – Directing, Producing, Editing, Screenwriting, Production Design and Cinematography and members from each discipline worked in teams to make 27 thesis films in my year. Our team members were Michael Steiner (Producer), Henry Hughes (Writer-Director), Kee Kyung (Cinematographer) and Benjamin K. Cox (Production Designer). I was the Editor. The film is based on our director, Henry’s experiences in the US military in Afghanistan, where he did two tours. He was inspired by his interpreter and their experiences serving together.

2. What were the challenges involved in editing the film?

Working on “Day One” was a tremendous learning experience. The actual shooting of the film took a total of 8 days giving us some 14 hours of takes and re-takes of material to work with. Henry’s story itself was a very rich and layered one with compelling characters, subplots and a range of themes covering military occupation, terrorism, gender relations, innocence and guilt. Editorially speaking, my biggest challenge was staying focused on the main plot while doing justice to the characters and subplots within the 25-min duration, all the while keeping the viewer engaged. The film is about a serious topic, and it was important to give the viewers some breathing space to process the scenes as they happened but also maintain the rhythm.

3. How has the win at the Oscars changed your life?

I have been overwhelmed by the response to the award and the interest people have taken in the story. Day One will now be eligible for selections in the short film category in the Academy Awards next year. Personally, I stay focused on my current projects.

4. Other than editing are you considering getting into other aspects of filmmaking?

Editing offers a tremendous vantage point to study other aspects of filmmaking because all the individual crafts culminate there. I continue to hone my craft as an editor while learning more about other aspects of filmmaking.

5. What is your next plan of action? Would you consider working in Bollywood as an editor?

I hope to work with great filmmakers and on stories that inspire. Currently, I’m editing a feature documentary about a Muslim girl cricketer in Mumbai. My next project is a feature documentary about the legendary American footballer, Vikings wide-receiver Gene Washington. Following that, I’m set to edit a short film comedy, so there’s a nice mix of projects. Given the right opportunity, I’d love to work on an Indian film.

6. What do you enjoy doing other than your main course of study?

In my free time, I enjoy going to music concerts and finding new restaurants.

7. What’s your favorite film when considering the technicalities of editing?

The greatest films are those in which the craft is invisible. Of the films this year, Mad Max: Fury Road is my favorite.

8. Do you think India could become a good platform for students such as yourself, who want to pursue film-making and film editing?

Given the cultural diversity in India, there are a lot of unique stories to be told. Great filmmakers have said that if you want to make movies, just go out there and make them. Having said that, the right environment is important. I have been lucky to study in a school like AFI where one is exposed to real-life filmmaking from the top professionals of the field, many of whom are our professors.

Despite great differences, humanity brings together people in a way nothing can and ‘Day One’ brings out this facet in a striking manner. Don’t miss watching the film.

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