JURY

IFFAT FATIMA

Iffat Fatima is an independent documentary filmmaker and researcher from Kashmir, based in Delhi. Since 2006 she has worked in Kashmir on the issue of enforced disappearances, in collaboration with the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP). In 2011, she made a short film Where Have You Hidden My New Crescent Moon on enforced disappearances. In 2004, she completed a Fellowship, Recasting Reconciliation through Culture and the Arts, at Brandeis University. In 2001, she was awarded the Asia Fellowship for her work in Sri Lanka, Inter-communal Relations and Education: The Sri Lankan Experience. Her films have been screened at important venues and film festivals all over the world.

LALIT VACHANI

Lalit Vachani is a documentary filmmaker, producer and video editor. His documentaries include The Starmaker, The Boy in the Branch, The Men in the Tree and The Play Goes On. In 2007, he directed In Search of Gandhi as one of ten international filmmakers commissioned to make 52 minute films for the Why Democracy? a global television series, which was broadcast across 42 international television channels, including ZDF/Arte in Germany, BBC and BBC World (UK), Arte (France), Canal + (Spain), SBS (Australia), NHK (Japan) and SABC (South Africa).

SHABNAM SUKHDEV

Award winning filmmaker Shabnam Sukhdev is an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India, PUNE. She has previously worked in the Mumbai film and television industry for over 2 decades. She migrated to Canada in 2002. Driven by a strong social conscience, she volunteered a lot of her time towards teaching media courses in film cooperatives. Issues of identity, culture, environment, mental health and human rights concern her deeply, and are reflected in her work. She recently completed her Masters in Fine Arts thesis on mental health at York University. Her thesis film “Unfinished” is a first person documentary told from a caregiver’s perspective. She won a National Award in India for a feature length documentary on her father, the renowned documentary filmmaker, S. Sukhdev.

LEENA YADAV

Leena Yadav is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. She started her career in the television industry directing popular fiction and non-fiction shows for television for almost 12 years before moving on to making feature films. She made her feature film directorial debut with Shabd (2005). This was followed by Teen Patti (2010) and received international acclaim with her third film, Parched (2016), which focused on the lives of women in rural India and was premiered at the Toronto film festival in 2015.

CHRISTO TOMY

Christo Tomy is an award-winning filmmaker based in Kerala and an alumnus of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. He started his career assisting Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Pinneyum. He has directed two short films – Virgin (2015) and Sweetheart (2016) – both of which garnered National Awards and were screened at international film festivals. Christo has also directed music videos and documentaries. He is a script mentor and story editor on numerous projects in development. Christo’s feature screenplay, Ullozhukku, was part of the NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab and won the Cinestaan India’s Storytellers Script Contest.

RAJESH RAJAMANI

Rajesh Rajamani is a writer, filmmaker and creator of the popular ‘Inedible India’ comic page on Facebook. He contributes film reviews and opinion pieces for various online magazines. His short film The Discreet Charm of the Savarnas takes aim at the liberal and progressive upper castes that speak out about anti- caste solidarity but are far less forthcoming about their privileges. The film released on YouTube has garnered both critical acclaim and popularity.

LONG DOCUMENTARY

Pankaj Rishi Kumar – Chairperson
Dr Fatima Nizaruddin
G Biju Mohan

SHORT DOCUMENTARY

Madhu Eravankara – Chairperson
Rajesh James
Soumya Sadanandan

SHORT FICTION

Vidhu Vincent – Chairperson
P N Gopeekrishnan
Prasanth Vijay

CAMPUS FILMS

Zakariya Mohammed
Seema Krishnakumar
Sreebala K Menon

ANIMATION & MUSIC VIDEO

Zakariya Mohammed
Seema Krishnakumar
Jeeva KJ

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY & SHORT FICTION

Bina Paul
Fazil N C
Geethanjali C