In The Gas Station Attendant, New York City-based Indo-American filmmaker Karla Murthy turns her gaze toward her own father with disarming honesty. What begins as a portrait, gradually unfolds into something more layered: the story of a man who left a small town near Bangalore for America in the 1960s, and the life that followed. Built from family photographs, old recordings, and decades of conversations between father and daughter (which she recorded with him until his passing), the film carries the texture of memory itself. There is tremendous affection here, but also complexity. In Murthy’s careful hands, the film becomes a deeply personal reflection on family, migration, and the enduring ties that continue to hold them together.
Karla Murthy
Karla Murthy is an Emmy-nominated producer who has been working on news documentaries for over 15 years as a producer, shooter, and correspondent. Columbia Journalism Review described her work as “compelling, informative and compassionate.” Karla’s award-winning feature The Place That Makes Us premiered on America ReFramed in 2021. Most recently, her short documentary Love, Jamie premiered on American Masters, won the Grand Jury Prize at its festival premiere at Outfest, and was called “one of the best short documentaries” by Texas Monthly.
