Jury 2019

MR B. LENIN

A versatile filmmaker, Mr. B. Lenin has been in the film industry since 1962 and is still going on. As a veteran editor, he has edited more than 100 films across the cinema of different languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and English.
A recipient of multiple National Awards, he won his first National Award as Best Editor for Kadhalan (1994), then Best Director for Ooruku Nooru Per (2001). As an editor, and director of short films, he won National Award as Best Director (Non feature film) for Knockout (1992), and subsequently as Best Editor (Non feature film) for Culprit (1995).
His contribution towards the short films and documentary movement in the country, is remarkable. He is known to be the champion of cinema movement in different places, across the country.
Apart from national honours, Mr. B. Lenin has won award for Best Short Film at Cairo IFF for his short Knockout (1992). As an Editor, and Director, he has won multiple state awards in Tamil Nadu, and Kerala for his diversified work on feature films.
He has been on the panel of many international film festivals, awards, and film bodies. He has headed the Indian Panorama section at IFFI. He was part of the Jury Team for National Awards in 2010, Film Federation of India's Oscar Selection Committee in 2011.
Apart from his film making, film education is a passion of Mr. B. Lenin. Currently, he is a faculty member at the top most film schools in India - Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India, Kolkata.

Christer Holmgren

Christer Holmgren is a Swedish actor, director. Born on 10 January 1941 in Motala, he has been active in the Swedish media industry for 54 years.
He started his career as an actor in Twelfth Night by Shakespeare in 1964. His first film role was as James in Åsa-Nisse slår till (Asa Nisse Strikes) in 1965. Since then he has been a regular name on the Swedish cultural scene, Throughout his career, he has acted in over 35 films and TV plays including 5 Indian feature films. His short film Champion ( 2015 ) has travelled to many festivals and won awards. His latest film, Dear Molly, has been shortlisted for the Oscars 2019.
His directorial film debut was a Japanese feature film, Byakuya (White night 1971). He later produced and directed Sally (1975), a short film, amongst others.
Christer Holmgren started his own film company in 1975 called Riksfilm AB. Being a theatre artist himself, Christer has played and directed at the Stockholm City Theatre, Helsingborg City Theatre, Norrköping City Theater, Riksteatern ( National Touring Theatre), The Royal Dramatic Theatre and others. Theatre productions were made by his other company Konferensteatern AB.
He is one of the founders of Sweden India Film Association (SIFA). Through this organisation, he has played a big role in facilitating cinema-related activities between India and Sweden. He was instrumental in organising the first Indian Film Festival in Sweden (2005 ), which is now a regular activity.
Christer was awarded the Sockholm Culture Award In 1984. He was honoured in 2017 with the Life Time Achievement Award at the Rajasthan International Film Festival.

Daniela Ciancio

"I practically dress their souls!" Daniela says when asked about gorgeous, appropriate, and remarkable attires she drapes the characters in!
Daniela Ciancio, a costume designer who is well known for creating some of the iconic styles in Italian cinema where the characters are fondly remembered with their clothing styles!
Daniela was born in Naples, she studied Latin, ancient Greek, History and Philosophy during High School; after the Diploma she attended the Academy of Fine Arts, where she graduated in Art Direction. She then studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, and Piero Tosi was her mentor for the History of Costume. She joined the European Film Academy board in the years 2010-2013 and the EFA Special Awards Jury in 2015.
She has been awarded, among others, two David Di Donatello for the best costumes for Il Resto di Niente (2005), and The Great Beauty directed by Paolo Sorrentino (2013). Her work on Il Divo (2008), and The Great Beauty (2013) was greatly admired. It was said in many reviews that her styling not only augmented the value of visual treatment, but it offered a new dimension to characters. Those styles have became iconic, and still remain in people's minds.
She is a member of the European Film Academy (EFA), of the Italian Academy of Cinema David di Donatello, and since 2014 of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, USA).

Joseph Israel Laban

Joseph Israel Laban is an award-winning Tagalog filmmaker from Philippines. He obtained his master’s degree in documentary filmmaking at the New York University on a Fulbright Scholarship. He directed, wrote and produced three films for Cinemalaya: Sea Serpent (Baconaua), Cuchera, and Termitaria (Nuwebe), which were screened in numerous international film festivals including Toronto, Busan, Montreal, Geneva, Goteborg, Chennai, Tallinn Black Nights, and Pune. He has won numerous awards including Best Director and Special Jury Prize for Sea Serpent, and Best Screenplay for Bent (Bawod) at the 2017 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, Best Screenplay for Purgatory (Purgatoryo) at the 2016 QCinema International Film Festival, and Best Director for Termitaria at the 2015 ASEAN International Film Festival, and Awards in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Kamlesh Pandey

It is rare to find a film that captures the attention of 'a generation'. Especially, for a writer, to create something that resonates with a generation and, then go beyond to create a work which becomes the benchmark for generations to come, is a rare feat to achieve. Kamalesh Pandey has been instrumental in writing films which have a fond memory, and an impact across different age groups and, demographics - notably Tezaab and, Rang De Basanti. Kamlesh Pandey with more than 30 years experience in advertising, 20 years in films and 20 years in television. He has won the Filmfare Awards for Tezaab, Star Screen Awards for Saudagar and IIFA Award for Rang De Basanti. He started his career in advertising in 1970 as a copywriter. He has worked with companies such as Colgate-Palmolive, Maruti, Airtel, Telco, Exide, Eveready, and many others. He won the Best Copywriter Of The Year Award for four years in succession from its inception in 1978. He was awarded the most prestigious honour in the advertising industry: CAG Hall of Fame 2005 Kamleshstarted writing films since 1987 while still in advertising and went on to write various blockbusters; till date he has written over 40 films. He Has been visiting faculty for teaching Screenplay at Whistling Woods. He is the genius behind Doordarshan’s iconic series – Detective Karamchand, starring Pankaj Kapur in the titular role. He has written cult classics like Jalwa, Tezaab, Khalnayak and, Rang De Basanti. Most of his films reflect the issues faced by today's youth - may it be because of the economic divide or social injustice. His writing shows the possibilities that are achievable if the youth is given proper direction.

Prasanna Vithanage

Prasanna Vithanage is most acclaimed, and prominent directors in world cinema to come from Sri Lanka. Throughout his body of work, he has tackled issues that are faced by contemporary Sri Lankan society.
In his early days, he used to adapt great literary works, plays into Sinhala and directed those plays. He translated and directed Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man in 1986, and Dario Fo’s Trumpets and Raspberries in 1991.
In 1992, he directed his first film Sisila Gini Gani (Ice of Fire). It won nine OCIC (Sri Lanka) Awards.
Anantha Rathriya (Dark Night of the Soul) (1996), which he wrote and directed was based on Leo Tolstoy’s last novel Resurrection. It participated in several international film festivals and won a Jury’s Special Mention in the First Pusan IFF.
His fourth feature Purahanda Kaluwara (Death on a Full Moon Day) (1997), was produced by NHK. It won the Grand Prix at the Amiens Film Festival.
In 2007, Vithanage co-produced the hit film Machan, directed by Uberto Pasolini. It premiered at the 65th Venice FF in 2008 and was shown widely all over the world, winning 11 international awards.
2008 also saw the world premiere of Prasanna Vithanage’s sixth feature film as director, Akasa Kusum (Flowers of the Sky) in Pusan, Korea and screened over forty film festivals to wide acclaim winning numerous international awards.
Prasanna Vithange has always fought the system even to release his films. He is one of the important figures, not just for Sri Lanka, but global cinema who takes the torch of 'purposeful cinema'.

Thorsten Schütte

Thorsten Schütte was born in 1966. He studied cinematography and editing in Cologne, and following his graduation, he garnered practical experience on film productions in Italy. Back in Germany, he started working for the production company EuroArts Entertainment International in the mid-1990s: He helmed a string of music documentaries for TV, including World Jazz (1998), Crossroads - Vom Jazz zum Ethno-Pop (1999), Trip To Brazil (2001), and The Cactus of Knowledge (2001). He also directed the documentary Ich, der King of Porn - Das abenteuerliche Leben des Lasse Braun (2003) for TV network Arte.
From 2004 on, Schütte focused on film projects with social-political and educational intent in South Africa and Namibia. He completed the TV documentary Sheila und Natasha - Leben und Lernen in Namibia (2005). His film Dwaal net rond! - The Forgotten chronicles the hardships of Namibian farm workers. Schütte was one of the founders of Stolen Moments - Namibian Music History Untold Research Group, which concerns itself with the native music culture that had been marginalized during the Apartheid rule. Since 2016, findings of the research are presented in exhibitions that have also toured in Germany.
Schütte's feature documentary Frank Zappa - Eat That Question premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The film garnered very positive reviews and went on to win awards at the San Sebastian IFF, and the Music & Film Festival in Asbury Park. It was released theatrically in Germany in December 2016.
In addition to his work as writer-director-producer, Thorsten Schütte has also been a lecturer and studies coordinator at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

Jury 2019

Jury 2019

Festival Office