Fantasy thriller Karma, the short film by New York Film Academy (NYFA) Filmmaking Alum Irmak Tasindi, has won the Platinum Remi Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. Additionally, it was an Official Selection at the Sunscreen Film Festival and screened at the 17th annual Garden State Film Festival.
The film tells the story of a gifted young boy, Evan, who is haunted by the memories of his past life, and is looking for the ex-wife from this past life in his search for answers. Tasindi wrote and directed the film in New York in 2017.
Tasindi graduated from the 1-year Filmmaking program at NYFA’s New York campus, enrolling in Fall 2016. Karma originally started as her thesis film. “I watched my work progress throughout the 1-year program and I was able to apply all that I have learned in my thesis film, Karma,” Tasindi tells NYFA. “I received tremendous help from my teachers who believed in my work and supported me in various ways. NYFA gave me the basics any filmmaker needs—technical skills, self-confidence, and permission to imagine.”
Tasindi was inspired to make Karma after seeing research studies regarding children who remember past lives as well as similar stories she has heard personally. The film is also a proof of concept for a larger series she hopes to make.
“You make a movie for yourself and you don’t really know how it will be perceived by others,” adds Tasindi. “The story is a rather controversial one, so people who watched it have shown strong reactions to it—they either loved it or they strongly disagreed with it.”
The film received a glowing review from the Utah Film Awards, which called it a “a masterpiece that baffles the mind, packed with mystery and suspense! If you are a fan of mystery films you probably have a sixth sense when a movie has an amazing story and Karma is one of the greats.”
“You can’t buy those words,” says Tasindi of the review. “If I managed to touch one person to write such a review, I must have done something right.”
Tasindi also filmed Pandora’s Box, collaborating with NYFA Cinematography students. She is still working the festival circuit for both films, as well as writing her first feature screenplay.
New York Film Academy congratulates Filmmaking alum Irmak Tasindi on the success of Karma and wishes her the best of luck as her career continues to grow!