KASHISH 2014 PREVIEW PANEL
Our 10-member KASHISH 2014 Preview Panel was tasked with watching over 300 films that were submitted from around the world and recommend the ones that could be programmed for the festival this year.
Abhay Kulkarni
Alumni of National School of Drama with 25 years of acting experience in films and theatre. He is a multi-lingual actor who has acted in 40 films and over 50 TV serials in Marathi, Hindi, English, and Kannada. He was nominated for National Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Band Jharokhe in 1997. He has also won two international awards as a director for the short film Mere Bina. In 2012, he is awarded with the prestigious National Achievement Award “Kala Ratna” Puraskar for his contribution as an actor.
Garima Sharma
A Mumbai-based writer and a panelist on the Censor Board of Film Certification. She has previously worked with “ARTINFO” as a cultural and lifestyle correspondent covering independent cinema as well as music, in addition to freelancing for various prestigious newspapers such as ”The Afternoon” and ”Sahara Time”. A hard-core cinephile, she has consciously worked across various film-streams and is also the producer of an experimental, independent Haryanvi film- Viraha (under production). An Alumni of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai she holds a post-graduation degree in Communication and Journalism from Mumbai University. A danseuse and avid traveler, she is currently working on her book of experimental verse.
Guelcin Koerpe
A translator with a degree from the University of Vienna who studied film in theory (degree in Theatre, Film and Media Studies, co-editor at peng., a magazine for film, art and culture) and in practice (as assistant to film productions of the Film Academy Vienna, organiser of a film week, film festival jury member). Through her work she has always been exposed to issues relating to the queer community across different cultures. She currently works as a freelance translator and subtitler for films.
Judhjait Bagchi
Judhjait Bagchi is a filmmaker based out of Mumbai making ad films, brand narratives, and short films under his production house Yaanus Films. Having a Masters degree in Communications with a specialization in Film Art from Manipal University, Judhajit worked with ace ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakar as a creative director and producer for hundreds of commercials. Having won the IDPA Award thrice for his animated brand films, his first independent short film Amen has also been critically acclaimed both nationally and internationally, having premiered at the Engendered Film Festival New York. Culture, gender and sexuality being his key interest area, he has also been involved in jointly researching and scripting documentaries for Oman Ministry of Culture and being a contributor to Heritage India and Maharashtra Unlimited magazines.
Murali Raman
Murali Raman is a Mumbai-based artist, script writer, TV creative and short & documentary film maker. Intense angst, cerebral logic & a bright wonder imbue his works – acrylics, oils, charcoal, multimedia/animation, installations, wall murals, short films, sand art, photography and poetry. The idiom he uses is intensely personal. His brave new artistic expression employs human experience as commentary on man’s evolution, and guide to move forward. As CD at greycellsltd he vetted international scripts for line-production in India, and concepted documentary & TV shows. He is consultant Creative Director at Freemont Digital, and has a modest studio in Mumbai.
Omesh Masand
Omesh Masand is an avid movie buff who grew up in an environment of watching movies and some close family being involved in production, distribution and exhibition. While he works with the Western Railway in the Accounts department, his passion for photography and environment takes him on many less traveled paths to discover life-fulfilling experiences. He continues watching film, almost one every day and occasionally writes films reviews or observations on social networking sites.
Prasad Ramamurthy
An alumni of Boston University where he studied Broadcast Journalism, presently Prasad is the Features Editor at Conde Nast Traveller magazine and has reported on LGBT stories for the magazine and during his stint at NDTV 24×7. Prior to this he was a freelance producer with CNN in New York.
Ranadeep Bhattacharyya
Ranadeep Bhattacharyya is an independent filmmaker from Mumbai with an advertising background and a gold medalist in Masters of Communications from Manipal University. Currently making ad films, and short films under Yaanus Films (www.yaanusfilms.com), Ranadeep has worked as a creative director for hundreds of commercials. His first independent short film Amen premiered at the Engendered Film Festival New York, had won the Best Narrative Indian Short at Kashish Mqff in 2011 along with the IDPA Award for Best Script and Fiction Film. While not making a film, Ranadeep is an art enthusiast, a part-time writer with Heritage India Magazine, and a digital painter.
Upasana Naithani
An MBA in International Marketing from IIPM Pune with a degree in Global Management from Cambridge University. Her first job placed her in Switzerland where she worked with Yash Raj Films and a Swiss branding company. After her short stint in Switzerland, she moved to Mumbai to work in Digital Media. Currently she is working as a Sr. Account Manager – Planning and Servicing in a leading Digital Ad Agency.
Urmi Jadhav
A transgendered hijra activist, Urmi has been working for the past 12 years with the Humsafar Trust. She has also worked on project Sanjeevani – a support group for People Living with HIV, as an in-charge for 4 years. She has spoken on many platforms and panels about the human rights issues faced by the hijra community and is also the Vice President of a hijra CBO, Kinnar Kastoori. Urmi has also appeared in a documentary, The Third Eye.
