Orphaned eight year-old Kuttappayi lives with his kindly, weather-worn grandfather Valiyappachayi in the spectacular Kerala backwaters of Southern India where they raise flocks of ducks. Fishing, playing, reading, laughing, it’s an idyllic life filled with learning, discovery and a deep respect for nature and the environment until the old man falls ill the boy’s future is suddenly uncertain. Based loosely on Vanka, Chekhov’s short story, Ottaal (The Trap) is a modernised tale set in a Malayalam community about the plight of the poor and powerless as heart-wrenchingly relevant now as was the 18th-Century original.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
