Dolcy D’Cruz
Filmmaker Manguirish Bandodkar’s Konkani short film Ancessao has been officially selected for the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) Toronto 2025. The 30-minute film, rooted in Goan culture and laced with dark humour, explores themes of mental health, loneliness, and aging, portraying the life of an elderly Catholic woman living alone in a Goan village while waiting for her son settled abroad. Her only source of entertainment becomes gossip, a lens relatable to many Goan households.
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Ancessao will be screened today, October 14, at Cineplex Cinemas Courtney Park, Mississauga, at 6.30 pm. It is the only Goan and Konkani film selected for this edition of IFFSA, the largest South Asian film festival in North America.
About the Filmmaker
A proud alumnus of Government Polytechnic, Panjim, Manguirish initially trained as an electrical engineer before pursuing filmmaking at Vinsan Academy. He has been making films for over a decade. This marks his first international selection, though his earlier Marathi-Konkani short Shivar was screened at the Goa Section of the International Film Festival of India in 2020.
Ancessao was written in 2022, shot in 2024, and completed in 2025 after overcoming financial hurdles. The film was shot across several South Goa villages, including Chandor, Curtorim, and Cuncolim.
Lead Actor
Prashanti Talpankar plays the lead role, marking her first collaboration with Manguirish. “For the character of Ancessao, I read the script almost ten times. I drew on years of observations and my familiarity with the local accent. The only challenge was the hunchback posture, which I perfected after observing a woman in Chandor,” she shared.
“The interior settings, cinematography, music, lyrics, and artwork are all amazing,” Prashanti added, praising the film’s detailed production design.
Cast and Crew
The short film features 33 actors, including Surekha Bandodkar, Pratik Vijay Kharate, Amreza De Oliveira, Frany Fernandes, Joella Pereira, Sushma Mhamal, Sonam Balkrishna Chari, Mahim Sinai Bhandari, Shefali Naik, Gautam Damle, Reshma Naik, Krishna Vernekar, Saharsh Naik, Shelton Victor De Melo, Antonet De Souza, Bipin Budhalkar, Sharon Mazarello, Gauri Kamat, Eddy De Souza Tavares, Gautam Sharma, Pritesh S. Patil, Harish Chari, Samir S. Naik, Satish Gaonkar, Abhijit Palkar, Gaurav Patade, Manoj Borkar, and Jude Fernandes.
Crew highlights:
- Director/Writer/Cinematographer: Manguirish Bandodkar
- Writer/Executive Producer/Line Producer/Assistant Art Director/Creative Director: Alton Coutinho
- Co-Writer: Ashish Nagvenkar
- Casting Director/Executive Producer/Production Manager/Actor: Pritesh S. Patil
- Art Director/Actor: Satish Gaonkar
- Assistant Art Director/Actor: Abhijit Palkar
- Assistant Art Director & Designs: Ashish Divkar
- Make-up/Hairstyle: Samiksha Karmalkar Harji
- Costume: Prajakta Kavlekar; Costume Assistant: Ashlesha Naik
- Cinematographer/Editor/Data Management/Production Assistant: Sameer Adkonkar
- BTS & Continuity: Siddesh S. Naik
- Technical Supervisor/Script Inputs: Amogh Barve
- Lyricist/English Subtitles/Composer/Singer/Script Inputs: Umesh M. Sardessai
- Singers: Queenie Fernandes, Savio Rodrigues, Mukesh Ghatwal, Umesh M. Sardessai
- Composer/Singer/Music Director: Mukesh Ghatwal
- Transport/Production: Yash Adiverkar
- RJ Voice Over: Shakuntala Bharne
- Associate Production/Actor: Mahim Sinai Bhandari
Behind the Scenes
Umesh Manohar Sardessai, a longtime collaborator, contributed lyrics, subtitles, and even composed and sang one of the songs. “We discussed and refined every detail to capture the nuances of the story. To avoid copyright issues, we created original songs, brought to life by Mukesh Ghatwal and vocalists including Queenie Fernandes and Shakuntala Bharne,” he explained.
The film was shot in just six days, a remarkable feat for a short film with a large ensemble cast. First-time actors brought fresh energy, making the set dynamic and engaging.
Recognition
The IFFSA Toronto selection validates the team’s dedication and highlights Goa’s growing presence in global cinema. Actor-director Brijesh Kakodkar praised the film: “We have seen such women outside the window, but this film lets you understand what happens inside the window too.”
Ancessao is a landmark for Goan cinema, combining cultural authenticity, dark humour, and universal themes, and is poised to make a strong impression at its international premiere.
