AutoCorrect

Ansu is a careful, by-the-book actor in the midst of Zoom rehearsals with a big-shot white director and an all-white cast apart from herself. She decides to address a long-standing issue of name mispronunciation with the director, Laura Peterson. Laura, overstretched and scattered, is focused on her lunch and an upcoming important call. While Ansu attempts to explain the negative effects of name mispronunciation, Laura--distracted and dismissive--tries to end the call. Ansu's mounting frustration risks her losing a hard-won role in an exclusive cast. Will she find her voice and step into her power, or be forced to accept the status quo in order to keep her job?

  • Priyanka Shetty
    Director
  • Anu Bhatt
    Director
  • Anu Bhatt
    Writer
  • The BGB Studio
    Producer
  • Anu Bhatt
    Key Cast
    "Ansu"
  • Elizabeth Bates
    Key Cast
    "Laura"
  • Anu Bhatt
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 31 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - The BGB Studio
  • South Asian Film Festival of America (SAFFA)
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 16, 2022
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Alameda International Film Festival
    Alameda, CA
    United States
    February 19, 2022
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • WILDsound FEEDBACK Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 22, 2022
    Best Film
  • 5th LA Women in Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Official Selection
  • We Make Movies International Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 5, 2022
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Studio City International Film Festival
    North Hollywood, Los Angeles
    United States
    November 5, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Los Angeles Asian Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    November 12, 2022
    Nominee, Audience Choice Award
  • City of Longview Film Festival
    Longview, WA
    United States
    February 10, 2023
  • Golden State Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 26, 2023
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Priyanka Shetty, Anu Bhatt

Priyanka Shetty is an award-winning actor, playwright, and director based in Philadelphia. As a creator of original works, Priyanka is focused on making art that is a reflection of our times. With humor, insight, and raw energy, her plays pose critical questions about contemporary issues, engender dialogue, and call for solidarity and collective action. Her critically acclaimed one-woman show THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM has been performed at numerous venues across the country including The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and recently completed a month long run at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe as part of the Assembly Festival which was followed by a Scotland tour. She also made her Off Broadway debut with a sold-out run in NYC at the Drama Desk award winning 59E59 Theaters. Priyanka earned a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Virginia and has served on the faculty of the University of Virginia’s Department of Drama. www.priyankashetty.com IG: @priyankashettyactor

Anu Bhatt bio:

Anu Bhatt (Co-Director) is an actor, writer and linguist based in Los Angeles. Her work focuses on the "balancing act" of growing up South Asian-American. Anu received her M.F.A. in Acting from Roosevelt University in Chicago and spent nine years acting in theatre and on-camera. She speaks French fluently and speaks Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Spanish, and Korean very-not-fluently. Her short film, AutoCorrect, a dramedy about the importance of name pronunciation and identity, just got accepted to its tenth film festival. Upcoming: Golden State, Poppy Jasper, LA Women in Film. www.anubhatt.com; IG: @iamanubhatt and @autocorrect_shortfilm.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

AutoCorrect is an entirely relatable and necessary story to tell right now. The Asian-American community is experiencing an uptick in violence at this time, and aggressions toward Asian-Americans serve one purpose: to put us in a box named "Other". This film shows us how identity is complex and layered. Ansu's conflict is really an inner conflict that many South Asian- and Asian-Americans will understand: if America has "otherized" my name, where do I really belong?

I wrote this short film through the Make It! class at The BGB Studio (LA). I could not have made this film without the help of the class, instructors and weeks of supportive and constructive feedback. Coincidentally and rather comically, the class itself created the conditions for this concept: I preemptively changed my Zoom name to a phonetic pronunciation to avoid mispronunciation, but had to correct classmates and instructors all 10 weeks of the class.

They say there's a first time for everything, so I decided I'd cram in about four firsts: writing my first short film, acting in my first short film, co-directing my first short film, and editing my first short film. Due to COVID, Priyanka and I have never met in person, but we worked seamlessly together across three time zones. I chose Priyanka because she is a skilled solo performer, writer and actor herself. I watched her direction of Made in India (Zoom, Inis Nua Theatre Company) which was masterful in its storytelling with limited time and environment. I knew she would be the right choice as co-director, and she brought fantastic and comedic ideas to the shoot.

I know that many audience members will relate to AutoCorrect, and I hope they feel encouraged to use their voice as they embrace their individual identities. Identity, to me, is a complex cake, but it comes down to the most basic ingredient: being true to yourself.

--Anu Bhatt, Co-Director, Writer, Actor & Editor