- Mainstream
Onir (2009-10)
Onir is a filmmaker, producer, writer and editor who has constantly used his filmmaking skills effectively to create awareness about various causes. Be it the controversial issues like Homosexuality or the less spoken about issues like sodomy, his movies have certainly been a reflection of truth. His first film My Brother Nikhil, touched upon the sensitive issue of homosexuality and AIDS and was a breakthrough for the Gay community in India. Another issue that he strongly feels for and has been working for is that of Child Sexual Abuse in India and it was to bring about the gravity and seriousness of this issue that he conceptualized the movie – Abhimanyu. He has also been associated with 7 NGOs working for the cause of child Sexual Abuse. Currently he is working on a series of short films, all of which deal with important social issues like MEGHA which is about Kashmiri Pandits who have been refugees, OMAR which is about the significance of the verdict on Homosexuality, to name a few. He believes that the powerless have the strength of truth and courage and if they all stand against the wrong together, change is inevitable.
Pritish Nandy (2008-09)
Pritish Nandy began as a poet at the age of 16. In a decade, he had published 40 books and received a Padma Shri. Mr. Nandy was a Member of Parliament for 6 years, from 1998 till 2004. His outstanding work in heritage and restoration won him the UNESCO Heritage Award in 2006. A majority of the movies he directs are based on social issues. He has showcased and highlighted myriad social stigmas and social evils to the audiences through his films.Revathy (2007-08)
Revathy is an award winning actor and director of Indian films. Through the strong character roles she has played, she has managed to touch thousands of lives, especially of the oppressed Indian women. She has been working the disabled and the mentally ill, women and children through organizations including the Ability Foundation, the Banyan, Vidyasagar and the Tanker Foundation with whom she works for awareness about renal diseases and organ donation.- Contemporary Issues
Girish Joshi (2009-10)
Mr.Girish Joshi is a qualified software engineer and presently a filmmaker. He truly believes in using the mass entertainment pull of Hindi Films in propagating awareness of social issues. His films like ‘Zor Lagaa Ke Haiya’ have been an attempt at making people aware of the visible and alarming issues around them that mostly get ignored. This movie is the first commercial film ever in Bollywood to touch the environment issue in a very significant way and has also won various awards worldwide. Mr.Girish has also made several Corporate AVs for NGOs working for the mentally challenged children. He has a desire in him to harness his media experience for the welfare of the society as a whole.
Bhavna Talwar (2008-09)
A filmmaker striving to create a difference, Bhavna is the director of ‘Dharm’ - a story about a Hindu Pandit priest accidently adopting a Muslim child who challenges the very core of the priest’s belief system. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has commented that the film will go a long way to help create a secular nation.- Documentary
Vijay Jodha (2010-11)
Vijay Jodha has been working as a writer, photographer and film maker for more than 2 decades. A renowned personality, he has worked with eminent film makers like Ang Lee and Mira Nair and organizations like Smithsonian, Discovery, MTV, Doordarshan, CBS and PBS. The manner in which he has devoted himself to social service is truly inspiring – having covered issues like environment, culture, communal harmony and the empowerment of the marginalized. Vijay has written, scripted and even funded award winning films like Inner Vision, The Weeping Apple Tree, Pedalling to Freedom, Forest of Hope and Speaking with Light. He also worked on Jana Swasthya Sahayog, a 22 film project to spread the message of health care and hygiene. Ageless Mind and Spirit- a social communication project, Widowhood in South Asia-a photography exhibition and Tiranga – A celebration of the Indian Flag a photo project, have been appreciated globally. Vijay has also volunteered as a writer and researcher towards building Sanskriti Pratishthan, the very first international artist retreat of India.
Ridhesh Sejpal (2009-10)
Mr. Ridhesh Sejpal is a documentary filmmaker and has been experimenting with the medium of cinema. At the age of 21, he has already directed marvelous documentaries on diverse social subjects and has always accumulated the essence of the appeal brilliantly. These documentaries and films have been globally recognized and awarded over the years. Mr. Ridhesh has also served as the Vice President, Community Service Director and a Volunteer for the Rotaract Club of Mulund.(Mumbai) He has coordinated several projects such as Aids Awareness Campaigns, Polio Dose Camps, Ban Plastic Camps, Relief to 7\11 Blast Victims & Film Screenings for BMC School Students. He also worked for the global warming issues as an active member of the Global Warming Research team for the Vidhyarthi Pratinidhi Mandal(Ruia College).
Nitin Das (2008-09)
A documentary filmmaker by profession, Nitin Das has created a niche for himself by addressing an issue of immediate international concern. His film on global warming is unique because it focuses on the solution rather than the problem. It offers a simple and effective way for every individual to make a difference. Films are a very powerful medium to reach out to the masses and change mindsets, and Nitin strives to do exactly that. The film has been on the main campaign page of the Billion Tree Campaign, seeing over 50,000 page hits every month. The film has also been screened in a number of conferences on Climate Change and Environment.Akanksha Joshi(2008-09)
Akanksha Joshi is an emerging new talent in the field of documentary film making. She took on a project in January 2004, documenting a Satyagrah march in Orissa. The issue was Land Rights struggles across the state. She began to make a film on Chilika - Asia’s largest brackish water lake, India’s largest coastal lake and the largest wintering grounds for migratory birds in the sub-continent. In many ways, it can be said that this was the beginning of her ‘love affair’ with the lake and her people. She showcased violence, land grabbing, murders, and corruption - at every rung of the business around Chilika. She highlighted not a ‘mainstream’ or a ‘hot’ issue, but a very important one. By choosing an issue of global concern, she has made an everlasting impact on the viewers' minds.- Short Films
Rahul V Chittella (2010-11)
Rahul V Chittella is a filmmaker and media entrepreneur who has been active in the process of empowering the youth with media in Mumbai. He has also been active in the theatre sector of Mumbai. Rahul has recently completed directing and producing a short fiction film titled, 'Muted' which is based on the simple theme of how we as individuals in the society have forgotten the basics of being good humans. Rahul has worked as the Creative Director for MAM Movies, an international organization which seeks to use media for social issues and has been the producer of "I am That", a short documentary on the eunuch community of India. He was also the producer for the Seva Journals Project under which filmmakers make videos for non-profits at an economical amount of money and has directed videos on various NGOs like that for I Volunteers, Rang De, Centre for Development Finance (CDF) and USHA. Under MAM Movies, Rahul also conceived the SHE Creates Project in association with the UNDP where 25 girl school children from various walks of life, society, religion and culture were brought together to produce 5 short films on women issues made completely by themselves. This helped the girls to express themselves as individuals and taught them about the basics of life. Rahul recently finished working on projects with the United Nations at New York City and is currently actively involved with the Global Lives Project, India as its director and executive producer.
FILMBOOTH- iCONGO (2010-11)
Rintu Thomas (2010-11)
Rintu Thomas is a filmmaker who completed her Masters in Mass Communication from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia University. Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh run an independent media outfit – Black Ticket Films – and have produced & directed award-winning films. Their movie ‘In Search of My Home’ which explored the lives of refugees living in the capital city of the largest democracy of the world received the best film award & the best director award at The Short & Documentary Film festival of Hyderabad in 2010. They produced films like ‘The Miracle Water Village’, ‘Flying Inside My Body’, ‘Children of the Night’, ‘Bullets & Butterflies’ which highlighted issues relating to climate change, gender & HIV AIDS, lives of handicapped street children and disability. Their films have been screened in film festivals across the world and also premiered on global television networks like the National Geographic Channel and NDTV. They also conduct film appreciation and filmmaking workshops for young adults in various educational institutions in Delhi. Some of their films are also being used as an advocacy tool by various NGOs working with street children in France, Germany, Italy and India.
Sushmit Ghosh (2010-11)
Sushmit Ghosh is a filmmaker who completed his Masters in Mass Communication from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia University. Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas run an independent media outfit – Black Ticket Films – and have produced & directed award-winning films. Their movie ‘In Search of My Home’ which explored the lives of refugees living in the capital city of the largest democracy of the world received the best film award & the best director award at The Short & Documentary Film festival of Hyderabad in 2010. They produced films like ‘The Miracle Water Village’, ‘Flying Inside My Body’, ‘Children of the Night’, ‘Bullets & Butterflies’ which highlighted issues relating to climate change, gender & HIV AIDS, lives of handicapped street children and disability. Their films have been screened in film festivals across the world and also premiered on global television networks like the National Geographic Channel and NDTV. They also conduct film appreciation and filmmaking workshops for young adults in various educational institutions in Delhi. Some of their films are also being used as an advocacy tool by various NGOs working with street children in France, Germany, Italy and India.
Geeta Kumar Singh (2009-10)
Geeta Singh, over the past 6 years, has been working on films on the impact of climate change and sustainable methods of combating the effects of global warming. An editor by profession, she now directs and produces films on subjects such as emancipation of women and the girl child, street children and education for all. For 2 consecutive years, she has been a member of the jury for selection of films for the UK Environment Film Fellowships, instituted by the British High Commission and the British Council in India. Her films have been finalists not only at the CMS Vatavaran environment film festival, but also the world renowned Panda Awards, at the Wildscreen film festival in the United Kingdom.
Avinash Kumar Singh (2009-10)
Avinash Kumar Singh, a writer / director / cinematographer by profession, has worked on films on the environment and climate change over the past 6 years. ‘Turtle on a Hammock films’, run by his wife Geeta and himself, consists of a team of young, enthusiastic and skilled professionals who deliver films that make a mark. Working extensively with a variety of NGO’s such as Action Aid, CARE, Frendicoes, Youthreach and Udayan Care, his efforts at making films that make a difference have been critically acclaimed and well received. He is also working on his 1st Hindi feature film with Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey.
Swati D’souza, Sehej Mantri, Sheetal Bhan, Aalap Deboor (2008-09)
These young students at the SIES College, Mumbai has been making socially relevant films for a year now. Her first film focused on the need for eunuchs to be appeased and treated as a part of the society. Her second film was based on female foeticide – portraying how a pregnant woman puts her foot down and resolves to give birth to her girl child by choosing not to bow down to societal pressure. Swati hopes to go a long way in seconding social causes that require immediate attention.