Team

RINTU THOMAS

DIRECTOR / PRODUCER

Rintu Thomas is an Academy Award nominated, Peabody Award winning filmmaker whose decade-long body of work sits at the intersection of storytelling as both an art and a conversation. A 2021 IDA Courage Under Fire Award honoree, Rintu is an IDA Logan Elevate grantee and a Sundance Fellow.

Her feature documentary, Writing With Fire (2021), described by The Washington Post as “The most inspiring journalism movie – maybe ever” is a double Sundance winner, a Peabody winner, a New York Times Critics’ Pick and a Grierson, IDA and a PGA Awards nominee. Along with winning 40 awards, the film is India’s first documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2009, Rintu co-founded Black Ticket Films, a production company invested in the power of storytelling. With a strong eye on social justice stories, Black Ticket Films’ critically acclaimed slate of films are being used as advocacy, impact and education tools by institutions across the world. Rintu’s award winning shorts include Dilli (2010) and Timbaktu (2012). She is a recipient of the President’s Medal of India, a Skoll Stories of Change Fellow and also a South Asia Fellow with the Japan Foundation.

She lives between New Delhi and a quaint mountain-town in North India.

 

SUSHMIT GHOSH

DIRECTOR / PRODUCER / CINEMATOGRAPHER

Sushmit Ghosh is an Academy Award nominated, Peabody Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Black Ticket Films, a production company invested in the power of storytelling. An IDA Courage Under Fire honoree, Sushmit's films are recognised for their rigor of immersive, emotionally powerful storytelling.

His feature documentary, Writing With Fire (2021) is India's first feature documentary to be nominated for an Oscar. Writing With Fire has played at over 200 festivals, won 40 awards and earned Grierson, IDA, PGA, Cinema Eye Honors nominations. Sushmit's work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Tribeca, Chicken & Egg Pictures and Doc Society. Sushmit is also a mentor for labs and fellowships that focus on storytellers from underrepresented communities who are providing new narratives about the most pressing issues of our time. Sushmit’s award winning shorts include Bullets and Butterflies (2007), Dilli (2010) and Timbaktu (2012).

In his spare time, you’ll find him motorcycling and hiking through the Himalayas.

KARAN THAPLIYAL

CINEMATOGRAPHER

Karan Thapliyal is a cinematographer based in New Delhi who has shot extensively on short documentaries, branded content and TV series. With over 12 years of visual storytelling experience, Karan’s work has spanned from filming intimate, human interest stories to designing sophisticated sequences for commercial productions. His work has premiered on The National Geographic Channel, Discovery Networks and The History Channel. Karan is an animal lover and is currently filming a Netflix original wildlife documentary in the heart of South India’s forests.

A regular collaborator on Rintu and Sushmit’s projects, Writing With Fire is his first feature documentary.

 

ANNE FABINI

SUPERVISING EDITOR

Anne Fabini is an award-winning editor of Of Fathers and Sons (Academy Award nominee, 2019) and Return to Homs (Sundance World Documentary Grand Jury Award winner, 2014). Other films she has edited are The Tale (Sundance, 2018), Morris From America (Sundance, 2016) and Houston (Sundance, 2013). Based in Berlin, Anne works as story and editing consultant on documentaries worldwide. She is a member of both the American and European Film Academy and on the board of governors of the German Film Academy.

PATTY QUILLIN

Executive Producer

Patty Quillin is a film producer and has been award-winning films like Athlete A, The Truffle Hunters, Belly of the Beast and The Kingmaker. Patty strongly believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive in healthy, just, and sustainable communities. This vision has guided her work for the past 25 years in a broad range of fields, from the environment and sustainable food systems to criminal justice reform and empowering women and girls. Patty is inspired by the passion of filmmakers in their mission to educate audiences and galvanize change. She is a patron of Sundance Institute and Chicken & Egg Pictures, and is a member of Impact Partners.

 

Hallee Adelman

Executive Producer

Hallee Adelman is a writer and film producer. She has served as an executive producer on documentary films including The Social Dilemma, US Kids, Writing with Fire, and was an associate producer on The Truffle Hunters. She is the co-founder of World of HA Productions, a participant of Sundance Catalyst, a supporter of Chicken & Egg Pictures, and a Board Member of the IDA. Adelman believes in the power of story to spark important conversations.

 

ANURIMA BHARGAVA

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Anurima Bhargava is a dignity and justice advocate. A civil rights lawyer by training, she led federal civil rights enforcement in schools at the US Department of Justice in the Obama Administration and directed the education practice at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She now heads Anthem of Us, a strategic advisory firm to promote dignity and justice, and center equity and belonging in workplaces, schools and communities. Anurima is also an award-winning filmmaker, advising and producing documentaries. She serves on numerous boards, and chairs the US Board of Doc Society. She is from the south side of Chicago, where she now occasionally resides.

 

TAJDAR JUNAID

COMPOSER

Tajdar Junaid is a music composer based out of Mumbai, India. Tajdar loves collecting musical instruments from across the world and uses them for his film scores and concerts. He often finds himself taking photos of old buildings in forgotten bylanes. His past collaborations include Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Emma Thompson, Aparna Sen and Rituparno Ghosh. Tajdar’s previous films include I Am Bonnie (BFI London, 2015) and Superstars of Koti (Hot Docs, 2015).

ISHAAN CHHABRA

COMPOSER

Ishaan Chhabra is a composer and music producer based between Los Angeles and Mumbai. A graduate in Electronic Music Production from Berklee College of Music, Ishaan has collaborated with Academy winning composer AR Rahman on Million Dollar Arm (Disney, 2014), The Hundred Foot Journey (Dreamworks, 2014), Majid Majidi's Muhammad: The Messenger of God (2015) and Gurinder Chadha's Viceroy's House (2017).

Ishaan’s independent work ranges from documentaries and branded commercials to feature films. He has scored for Hansal Mehta’s Omerta (TIFF, 2017), Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal (Netflix, 2020) and co-scored Momentum Generation (HBO, 2018). He was also one of the three finalists for the Rolex Arts Initiative 2016-17, selected and mentored by Philip Glass.

A regular collaborator on Rintu and Sushmit’s projects, Writing With Fire is Ishaan’s first feature documentary.

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