Smile Pinki: HBO's Short Documentary Wins the 2008 Oscar

The HBO Documentary Films presentation SMILE PINKI received an Oscar Award in the category of Best Documentary Short at the 81st annual Academy Awards, presented at the 2009 ceremony of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Feb. 22.

SMILE PINKI tells the story of Pinki and Ghutaru, two desperately poor children in rural India who were born with a cleft lip.  Ostracized and unable to attend school because of their condition, they lead a lonely life isolated from others their own age.  By chance, Pinki and Ghutaru’s parents meet a traveling social worker gathering patients for a hospital that provides free cleft surgery to thousands each year.  Once a distant dream, the surgery is now accessible to them.  Told in vibrant verité style, SMILE PINKI follows its two wide-eyed protagonists on a journey from isolation to embrace.

Debuting on HBO this later this year, SMILE PINKI was directed and produced by Megan Mylan.