Custody (short film)

Custody is a 2019 short Indian film directed by Ambiecka Pandit and written by Pandit and Karan Pandit. The film received critical acclaim and won the Best Short Fiction Film award at the 67th National Film Awards.

Synopsis
Set over a few hours during a New Year's Eve celebration, Custody revolves around a group of old friends whose lives take a nerve-wracking turn when the host's baby chokes in a fire. As they struggle to save the baby's life and maintain their bond of years, the film delves into questions of morality and the subjective nature of right and wrong.

Production
Before entering the film industry, Ambiecka Pandit worked as a lawyer for several years. She eventually quit her legal career to pursue her passion in filmmaking, using her savings to make her debut film, Custody. The film was produced by Priyanka Bangia, Tariq Chauhan, Ambiecka Pandit, and Mitchell Speers. Satya Nagpaul served as the cinematographer, while Atanu Mukherjee handled the editing. Devika Dave was responsible for the production design, and Shivani Shivkumar designed the costumes. The film also had Aishwarya Chodankar and Leron D'Souza as assistant directors, Bulganin Baruah as the dialogue editor, Allwin Rego as the sound editor, Sasank Sekhar Sahoo as the assistant camera, and Xavier Joseph as the colorist.

Reception
Custody garnered positive reviews from critics. Cinestan described it as "A clever film that is masterfully executed, Custody keeps you hooked till the end, making you wonder about the characters long after the film is over."

Awards
The film received the Best Short Fiction Film award at the 67th National Film Awards.

Screening
Custody was screened at the 19th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, which took place from 20 May – 27 May 2021.