Pune youth nominated for Yugo BAFTA in Los Angeles

PUNE: A young filmmaker from Pune, who is currently based in Los Angeles in the US, has been nominated for the 2024 Yugo BAFTA Student Awards for his work on a short film titled ‘Caroline’.

The film, a group project by Aaron Dsouza and his batchmates at the American Film Institute (AFI) in LA, was written and directed by Jack Highberger.

Dsouza served as editor for the 10-minute short film, which explores a son’s emotional journey as he copes with his mother’s death and navigates the necessary formalities.

The long list of nominations for the award included 78 film projects by students, selected out of over 800 entries from around the world.

Dsouza is currently in Pune city to celebrate the achievement of being considered for a prestigious film award with his parents.

He plans to travel back with them to LA to attend the award ceremony slated to take place in Maybourne Beverly Hills on July 12.

“The nomination has opened up several avenues for me as I embark on my career in Hollywood. I have received correspondence from many filmmakers, who want to rope me into their projects back in LA. During my week-long stay in Pune, I will visit a Marathi director, who went to college with me to see if we can team up for a project,” 23-year-old Dsouza told TOI. “Apart from work, the nomination has also helped my visa application,” he quipped.

Dsouza’s style of editing is inspired by the likes of Lee Smith, who has worked on several Christopher Nolan movies, including the Batman trilogy, Interstellar and Dunkirk, among others.

“Turning six hours of footage into a 10-minute short film involved constant back-and-forth with the director and cinematographer as filming went on. I like to spend time with the footage and let it marinate with me for a while. With heavy dramas, you cannot rush through scenes. Maintaining a pace that allows for emotion to sink in with the audience is a big part of the job,” said Dsouza.

The young film editor said his goal is to tell heartfelt stories, albeit on a grand scale.

In the future, he aspires to work with legendary filmmakers, such as Nolan and Martin Scorsese.

Dsouza admitted that he faces a tough road ahead on the way to reach the top of his game. “It’s a Catch-22 situation in Hollywood right now — people want fresh ideas, but don’t want to hire freshers. However, I am building my profile working with various filmmakers across genres. I have worked on six short films till now, testing new waters with experimental genres as well,” he said.


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