Pallavi Kotoky
Editor & ideator...warp time & space to reveal a story where it is invisible!
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Pallavi’s keen interest and leaning towards art, language and culture from an early age, led her from learning and gathering proficiency in the Indian classical dance forms -Odissi & Xatriya and dabbling in plays during school and college days (in home-town Guwahati), to moving to Pune; to pursue Master’s in English literature along with her Master’s diploma in ‘Film and mass communication’ from Symbiosis institute of Mass Communication (Pune).
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Soon after passing out from Symbiosis, Pallavi went on to develop ‘film editing’ as her core area of competency. The multiple convergences of various artistic crafts and technology that a film demands and their meeting in the editing table helped her to realise that it can be her calling and be the perfect expression of her abilities and interests.
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Her very first documentary (co-edited) 'The road less travelled… where the journey is the destination’ was screened in the 6th Mumbai International Film Festival, for documentary, short and animation films.
The other feature length documentary - ‘Bhraimoman Theatre…where Othello sails with Titanic’ (co- editor), based on the traveling theatres of Assam, won the 'Special mentions' in the National Film Awards (2006). And has been a part of Mumbai International Film Festival.
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One core area of working and an important phase of her professional life, has been the time dedicated working on projects from the development and NGO sector. Editing and co- scripting issue based films, for organisations like - Dignity Foundation, Action Aids India, Oxfam India, Child Fund India, Watershed Organisations Trust - WOTR and a few such other organisations helped her to expand her horizon and perception.
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Her other work as independent editor in the recent years includes the documentary feature ‘Guns & Guitars.. a musical travelogue’ The film was the official selection of the ‘Indian Panorama’ in the International Film Festival of India (Goa) 2016. It was also selected as one of the top 100 documentaries of this year by Color Tape International Film Festival –considered the largest festival of the Southern Hemisphere. Besides being part of the official selection of 17 other festivals across the world.
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Pallavi's first independent feature film as editor, 'Rainbow fields (Xhoixobote dhemalite)', was again an official selection and part of the prestigious 'Indian Panorama' IFFI, Goa 2017. Rainbow fields (Xhoixobote dhemalite), also won best editing award in northeast India’s biggest popular award show, “Prag Cine Awards (2019). Till date the film has travelled to 27 international film festivals and winning accolades and awards along the way.
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Beside film editing, Pallavi’s keen interest and eye for art and design have prompted her to expand her area of performance towards ideation and costume & production design. To that credit, she has successfully executed music videos, TV series and two feature films – ekhon nedekha nadir xipare/ As the River flows & Rainbow Fields.
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Recently Pallavi completed editing a 26 episode series for Doordarshan (National Television) titled- ‘Kaziranga’.