All India Short Film Festival – Eminent panel of Judges

Our jury comprises distinguished professionals from diverse sectors of the film industry, including internationally award-winning filmmaker, seasoned scriptwriter, renowned casting director, and experienced journalist. Here are some details about our esteemed Judges

Tathagata Bhattacherjee

Tathagata Bhattacherjee is a Senior Film maker working since 1994. He has till date executed more than two hundred Film Projects including Feature Films, Television Films, Documentaries, Corporate Films, Ad Films and Short Films. Many of his films have travelled to National and International Film Festivals and also won major Awards.
Tathagata has directed Feature Films ANTARGHAAT (Beng./2001), SEVEN DAYS (Beng./2011), ASTRA (Beng./2012) and AKORIK (Beng./2023). He has also worked as the Executive Producer in Goutam Ghose’s RAAHGIR (Hindi). His other creative works are in English, Hindi and Bengali Languages. Notably, he has made an International Award Winning Short Film in Arabic Language.
Apart from directing films, Tathagata has conducted several Film making Workshops in Educational Institutions all over the country.
Tathagata has his own Creative Organisation ‘Take 5 Communications’ in Kolkata.

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Nandini Chakraborti

Nandini Chakraborti, born in Kolkata, India, grew up in a film-centric environment, inspired by her father, the renowned cinematographer Ramananda Sen Gupta. He worked on 75 feature films, including The River by Jean Renoir, and collaborated with legends like Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak. Her early exposure to cinema sparked a childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker.

However, her passion gradually shifted toward Indian Classical music. Nandini trained under greats such as Bidushi Krishna Ganguly Dasgupta, Pandit Narayan Rao Joshi, and Pandit Arun Bhaduri, learning various musical styles from many esteemed gurus. Her first teacher, Bidushi Krishna Ganguly Dasgupta, deeply influenced her musical journey. In her later years, Nandini often visited her, gathering stories of struggle and achievement.

Following her guru’s passing in 2013, Nandini decided to honor her legacy by making a documentary on her life and music. Drawing from her filmmaking heritage, she created the film as a tribute—fulfilling her childhood dream. Nandini now looks forward to making more documentaries and feature films in the future.

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Sanjay Mishra

Sanjay Mishra is a hardcore professional with over 32 years of work experience including 20 years in the media & advertising Sanjay Mishra has been associated with leading media houses like Delhi Press, Just Dial, Manthan Movies, Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd, and The Gramophone Company of India Ltd. He has worked under the legendary Hrishikesh Mukherjee as an assistant director. He turned filmmaker in 2019 with “Secrets”, his debut short thriller. He also ventured into film production with a documentary on Sushil Majumdar his illustrious grandfather “The Doyen’s Journey Through Time” made by acclaimed docu filmmaker Indranil Sarkar. Currently Sanjay is working on short films both as a director and as an actor.

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Althea Phillips

Althea Phillips has worked for several English dailies, including The Statesman. At present she is an Assistant Editor with The Times of India, Kolkata. She works on the City Desk and also reports on topics of interest to her like art and culture, films and education.

Apart from being a senior journalist clocking over 27 years in the field. Althea has been actively associated with films and filmmaking down the years. An alumni of Chitrabani, she was mentored by no less a person than the late Father Gaston Roberge, an institute in himself in films. She has written the scripts for two short films ‘Secrets’ and ‘The Script’. Two more scripts are ready for shooting while another is in the drafting stage.

She has also acted in ‘The Script’. Earlier too she has worked in Abhijeet Ganguly and Sudeshna Roy’s Telefilm ‘Club 99’ and Arjun Gourisaria’s ‘Sthaniya Sambaad’.

She has been recognized for her contributions to the field of journalism by the Government of India and has also bagged the Award for Excellence in Journalism by the Geetanjali Group.

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Rupsa Banerjee

Rupsa Banerjee is a seasoned media professional with over 18 years of experience across diverse formats and geographies, working between Mumbai and London. She began her journey in India, spending a decade immersed in Mumbai’s vibrant film and advertising industries. During this time, she collaborated with acclaimed director Shoojit Sircar and also appeared in the critically acclaimed film Piku.

In the last 5 years, Rupsa has focused on films shot in the UK, working as both a Casting Director and Production Manager on a wide range of international projects. Her body of work includes 15 films made in the UK alone—spanning 9 Bengali films, 2 Punjabi films, 3 Hindi films, and an American audio-visual series ( The Divorce Story for Pocket FM). Her credits include major Bollywood productions such as Bade Miyaan Chote Miyaan and Ganapath, as well as celebrated Bengali films like Atanu Ghosh’s Aaro Ek Prithibi , Kamaleshwar Mukherjee’s Anusandhan , and Sayantan Ghoshal’s Swastik Sanket.

In addition to her work in production, Rupsa recently made her foray into screenwriting, having sold her first original story and screenplay to Abbas-Mustan Productions Ltd, marking a successful expansion of her creative repertoire as a writer.

Her ability to seamlessly navigate multiple languages, industries, and production environments is a testament to her creative adaptability and international appeal.

Are you an Independent Filmmaker?

🎬 Have a 3–5-minute short film ready, but haven’t submitted it yet?
Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this unique film festival organized by Cinema for a Cause and LifePlus Magazine
Check the submission guidelines and complete your entry here:
👉 Submission Form & Rules – https://forms.gle/xJuR5hs8qhWRvseE6

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