Dr. T. S. Nagabharana is a renowned award-winning film director, actor and producer in Kannada cinema. Credited with making 36 films, he is a recipient of 10 national awards, 18 State awards, and nine films participating at Indian Panorama. He is the founder, Chairman and festival director of the Bengaluru International Film Festival. Honoured with a gold medal for his achievement in theater by the Government of India, and Government of Karnataka. He is founder of the theater organization ‘Benaka,’Tumkur University conferred with an honorary doctorate. He was Chairman, Kannada Development Authority, in the rank of a Cabinet Minister and has chaired several prestigious institutions.
A. Karthik Raaja is an Indian cinematographer. A 1977-80 graduate of the Adyar Film Institute, Chennai, he has been the Director of Photography (DoP) for several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. Some of well-known films include Chinna Gounder (1991), Ejaman (1993), Vanaja Girija (1994), Rettai Jadai Vayasu (1997), Oru Oolaa Oru Rajakumari (1995), Edhirum Pudhirum (1999), Vaanavil (2000), Raajijyam (2002), I Love You Do (2002), Thunai Mudhalvar (2015), and Inayathalam (2017). He has worked with many reputed directors in the Tamil and Telugu film industry like K. Bhagyaraj, R.V. Udhaya Kumar, Dharani, Manoj Kumar, Rathnakumar, and Sankar-Suresh, amongst others.
Anjan Bose is an award winning well-known filmmaker, producer and distributor, and a third-generation custodian of the legendary Aurora Film Corporation, recognised as the oldest functioning cinema production, distribution and exhibition organisation in India since 1906. A recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards thrice, his ‘Aurora Bioscope’ was awarded Van Gogh Award at the Amsterdam Film Festival (2018). He has served as jury at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and the Kolkata International Film Festival.
Dr. Itirani Samanta is an award-winning Indian columnist, author, journalist, publisher, and television and film producer predominantly in Odia language. She is the editor of the monthly magazines Kadambini and Kunikatha, and the founder of Kadambini Media Pvt Ltd, a production house. She won the Best Story Writer and the Best Film Award at the Odisha State film Awards (2014) for her film ‘Krantidhara’, and ‘Kathantara’ won the 53rd National Film Award for Best Film Production.
K. P. Vyasan also known as Vyasan Edavanakad is a renowned screenwriter, film director, producer and distributor in the Malayalam film industry. He started as a scriptwriter for the film ‘Indreeyam’ (2000) and since then has written the screenplay for five films, directed two films across various genres, as well as distributed over 30 movies in different languages. A regular at film festivals, he is also a member of FEFKA Writers Union and the Kerala Film Producers Association.
Kamlesh Mishra is an award-winning scriptwriter and director in the film and television industry. He earned critical acclaim for his film ‘Madhubani: The Station of Colours’, which won in the non-feature category at the 66th National Film Awards. His other notable works are his debut feature film, ‘Azamgarh’, ‘Masoom Sawal’, the short film ‘Kitaab’, ‘Delhi Riots: A Tale of Burn and Blame’ and the nationwide famous slogan, ‘Beti Bachao’. He has served as jury at several prestigious film festivals.
Kiran Ganti left a successful career in the financial sector to study and pursue filmmaking. His thesis on editing at the Film and Television Institute of India was praised by the multiple Oscar award winning Editor and Sound Designer, Walter Murch. A film editor and director in the Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and English film and web-series industry, his documentary, ‘We The People’ garnered appreciation and The American Cinema Editors featured him in their magazine Cinema Editor.
A law graduate, Milind Lele is a popular director and producer in Marathi cinema. He has directed many successful films including 'AB Aani CD' featuring Amitabh Bachchan, "Bandhishala', 'Kurukshetra', 'Manya Sajjna'. He also has produced films like 'Karayla Gelo Ek' and 'Diwasendiwas' which have been nominated for the Maharashtra State Government Awards.
Pradip Kurbah, is a self-taught award winning filmmaker from Shillong, Meghalaya. His body of work includes award-winning films and music videos in various languages. Known for his ability to push creative boundaries and showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Khasi community, his films like ‘Lewduh- Market’ and ‘Path’ have won several national and international awards; with both ‘Ri-Homeland of Uncertainty’ and ‘Onaatah’ winning the Best Khasi Film at the 61st and 63rd National Films Awards respectively.
Rama Vij, a celebrated Hindi and Punjabi film actress, gained prominence through her remarkable roles in National Award-winning movies like "Chann Pardesee" and "Kachehari," alongside a notable TV appearance in the renowned series "Nukkad." Her contribution to the silver jubilee film "Prem Quadi" led to a Filmfare nomination. Additionally, she has produced and co-directed three TV serials. She also served on the governing council of FTII.Her works has garnered her several other prestigious awards and lifetime achievement awards from the Punjab state government and many other prestigious institutions. Beyond cinema, she has excelled in car rallies and hockey at national level, showcasing her diverse talents.
Romi Meitei is an award winning filmmaker; a director and a lyricist in the Manipuri film industry. He has given several box-office hits and is a recipient of many accolades at various national and international film festivals, including the prestigious National Film Awards, FIPRESCI and NETPAC award, along with several Manipur State Film Awards. He serves as the Chairman of Mami Thawan Foundation that aims to work for the welfare of Manipur.
Sanjay Jadhav is a renowned Indian cinematographer, film director and producer in the Marathi and Hindi film industry. Having directed a dozen films, he is best known for his box office hit films ‘Duniyadari’ (2013) and ‘Pyaar Vali Love Story’ (2014), a romantic drama. He has also been the cinematographer for over 24 films in Marathi, Hindi and even Tamil and also produced the famous Marathi sitcom ‘Dil Dosti Duniyadari’ being aired on Zee Marathi.
Vijay Pande is a renowned film and television director and editor for more than four decades. A recipient of multiple awards, some of his notable works are the popular television series, ‘Saat Phere….Saloni Ka Safar’ and ‘Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand’. He has conducted several workshops on direction and editing for students, has served on the jury of several film festivals and was a member of the advisory committee of the Central Board of Film Certification.
Arvind Sinha is a leading and award winning documentary filmmaker in India. He has won some of the most prestigious awards for his films like, ‘The Recluse’, ‘Journeying’s and Conversations’, ‘Ajit: The Unconquerable’ and ‘King of India’, amongst others. A recipient of eight national awards, his documentaries have been broadcasted all over the world, including the renowned European culture channel, ARTE. He has also served as jury for several international and national film festivals.
Arvind Pandey is a writer and director in the film, television, advertising, media and theatre industry. He is credited with more than 40 short films, 125 documentaries, 60 ad films, six animation films, over 20 corporate films, 27 music videos, four theatre plays and more than 100 radio and television productions. His short films like, ‘Ke Se Kitaab’, ‘Wings of Fire’, the animation film ‘Tillu’, and his debut feature film ‘Ishq Pashmina’ (2022) received many accolades.
Bobby Wahengbam is an award winning filmmaker, producer, author, critic and director in Manipuri cinema. He won the national award twice; for Best Book on Cinema ‘Matamgi Manipur: The First Manipuri Feature Film’ and for Best Regional Feature Film ‘Eigi Kona’ at the 65th and 67th National Film Awards. Several of his films like ‘Joseph’s Son’, ‘Roshni’, ‘The Fenced People’, ‘Soft Target’, ‘Apaiba Leichil’ and ‘Padma Shri Wareppa Naba’ have been screened at prestigious film festivals.
Dip Bhuyan is an award winning documentary filmmaker in Assamese cinema. He has made over 40 documentaries, fiction films and videos for various organisations. Some of his notable works that garnered accolades and awards at film festivals are, ‘Sesh Asha- The Last Hope’, ‘Resonance of Mother’s Melody’, and ‘Manas and People’ for which he won the Best Environment Film Award at the 68th National Film Awards. He has served on the selection committee of several film festivals.
Kamlesh Udasi is an award winning television and documentary film director and producer. He was with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for 21 years for Edusat Network’s documentary, television and educational content generation and production. He has directed and produced close to 300 documentary films and television programs across various genres like social development, human rights, women empowerment, science and technology, etc with ‘I Burnt My Fingers’ and ‘Shifting Shelters’ winning awards at various film festivals.
Paushali Ganguli is a critically acclaimed animator, author, and screenwriter. She won the 49th National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Animation Film for her animated short film ‘The Pink Camel’ (2001). She has directed several short films and has been screenwriting across various genres. She has also authored several children’s books, including the award winning book: ‘Tales of Bengal’ which is a retelling of Upendrakishore Roy Choudhury ‘Tuntuni-r Boi’.
Varun Kurtkoti is an interdisciplinary artist from Dharwad, Karnataka. Apart from filmmaking, he also focuses on designing and facilitating film and theatre based pedagogies and cooperative filmmaking. His animated film ‘Appa And His Invisible Mundu’ (2020) was screened across film festivals in the Asia-Pacific. His latest is a community film ‘Kathi Kathi Kaarana’ (2022), commissioned by the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom. He is a recipient of fellowships from EngageMedia-Tech Tales, National Geographic and P.S.B.T. Doordarshan.
