Shameless a short film produced by Australian Ashley Gomes is eligible for qualification from India for the 93rd Oscars in the ‘Live Action Short Film’ category. It was picked alongside four other films at Best of India Short Film Festival 2020 hosted by Shorts TV.
Shameless is written and directed by his brother Keith Gomes, with a versatile cast comprising of Sayani Gupta, Hussain Dalal and Rishabh Kapoor, the film’s narrative dives into the theme of loss of human spirit due to technology, while it also attempts to raise relevant questions on the issues of entitlement, humanity and empathy toward the migrant class.
The 15-minute black comedy-thriller revolves around a work-from-home professional – played by Hussain – who constantly orders food online and wakes up to find himself trapped by an exasperated and apologetic pizza delivery girl, essayed by Sayani. The film was one of the finalists at the recently concluded 3rd edition of the Best of India Short Film Festival 2020 and has been produced by Aussie Ashley Gomes and Indian National Award Winner Sandeep Kamal, while the sound was designed by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty (Slumdog millionaire).
Ash Gomes, previously a marketing strategist from Sydney, Australia decided on a change of career – dabbling in films. He is currently writing a conceptual TV show and a short film in Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, Spain. His advice to aspiring Aussies to quote his favourite Aerosmith song “Dream on, till your dreams come true.” Adding, “Nothing is impossible, yesterday I was a successful marketer in Australia stuck in a rat race, today an Oscar eligible producer, writing in Spain. It’s a proud moment to be an Australian, it’s indeed a lucky country. We’ve come this far, so who knows what’s next? whatever it is – it’s super exciting.”
Adding “We make films not only to entertain, but also to provoke thought. And, my brother (the director) tells stories that are socially relevant that question norms. Our belief is that for a film to have real social impact, it has to be able to expand our understanding, to change our perspective, to challenge us to do something”.
Recently, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan released Ash’s production of the award-winning children’s short film ‘Doobie’, a poignant tale about love, hope and the unyielding spirit of a rag-picking child, which’s inspired by a true-life story. It is also written and directed by his brother Keith Gomes.
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According to Shameless director Keith Gomes “I observe human behaviour and love telling stories about the human spirit. This world needs kindness and my films are a reminder to not get lost in technology. I have to thank my incredible cast and my crew of National and Oscar award winners. I make films with little funding from family and friends. Everyone comes together with loads of love and passion, the result is the sum of its parts, couldn’t be more blessed.”
As a writer, Gomes has co-written the screenplay and was also the associate director on Salman Khan’s Bollywood blockbuster ‘Kick’ and served as an associate on several hit Bollywood movies such as ‘Taxi 9211’, ‘Heyy Babyy’ (which was shot in Sydney, Australia), ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai’ and ‘Knockout’. As part of his philanthropist innings, he is one of the founders of India Against Corruption (Mumbai chapter) and collects consumer durables for tribal schools in Odisha.
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