Adoor Gopakrishnan - Chairperson

In a career spanning over three decades, Adoor Gopalakrishnan's films have won countless National and International Awards. Adoor Gopalakrishnan's work has inspired a generation of filmmakers to use their medium in innovative ways and explore traditionally forbidden topics. He has served as the Chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India and is currently Chairperson of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust. Nizhalkoothu his latest film won a National Award in 2003. Recently, the French government conferred on him their highest cultural honour – the “Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres”.

She is the founder of Cinemaya - The Asian Film Quarterly in 1988, which endeavours to create awareness of good cinema. She is an active member of the Indo-French Initiative Forum and has contributed to building cooperation between the two countries in the field of cinema. Ms. Aruna Vasudev has recently been conferred France's top cultural award, the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres. She is the director of the annual festival of Asian Cinema, ‘Cinefan’ – that has evoked popular and critical acclaim. In 2006, she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 8th Cinemanila Film Festival at Manila, Philippines. She has recently been honoured with the Kalpana Chawla Excellence Award 2007 for women.

Baljeet Singh Lalli is the Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati. An Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer of the 1971 batch, he was previously the secretary (Border Management) in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Kiran Karnik has served as the president of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), the apex body representing India’s IT software and service industry, and Managing Director of Discovery Networks in South Asia. He is widely applauded as one of the pioneers of development communication in India from the time of his distinguished early years at ISRO. In 2003 the US magazine Forbes described him as ‘The Face of the Year’ for his outstanding contribution to NASSCOM. He has also been honoured with the distinction of being the Dataquest IT Person of the Year 2005.

Mrinal Sen’s films have traversed a diverse range of social issues. In a long and illustrious career, he has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Swarna Kamal four times, prizes at Cannes, Venice, Moscow, Berlin, the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and the Commandeur de l'ordre des Arts et letters in 1983. In 2005 he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour given to an Indian filmmaker, by the Government of India. He completed his autobiography, ‘Always Being Born’  in 2004.

Rajiv Mehrotra has an MFA in Film from Columbia University, New York. He is currently the Managing Trustee of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust and the Honorary Trustee of the Foundation of Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He has produced more than 50 documentary films and has been the recipient of three national and several international awards.

One of India’s most respected filmmakers, he has made more than a dozen critically acclaimed feature films representing rural, contemporary and modern India in a career spanning over thirty years. Shyam Benegal is the recipient of three of India’s most prestigious awards – the the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005, the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. His films have won numerous awards in India & abroad. He is currently a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.

Sharmila Tagore

Sharmila Tagore is currently the Chairperson of the Censor Board of India. The talented and versatile Sharmila Tagore from Bengal has grown to become one of India's best loved actresses. She began her career in Bengali films starring with Satyajit Ray's ‘Apur Sansar’. She was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1970, and honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to Indian cinema in 1997. She won the National Award for the Best Supporting Actress in 2004. 

Sunita Narain is the Director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). In her 20 years at the Centre, she has worked both to analyse and study the relationship between environment and development, and to create public consciousness about the need for sustainable development. Sunita Narain has led from the front on numerous environment issues. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2005. She has also been honored by the 2005 Stockholm Water Prize for her dynamic involvement in issues related to health, environment and democracy.

Advisory Board

Mrinal Sen - Chairperson
Anjolie Ela Menon, Bhaskar Ghose, Fali Nariman, Habib Tanvir, Kiran Seth, Prof. V. N. Rajsekharan Pillai,  Pronnoy Roy, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ravi Vasudevan, Sashi Kumar, Sir Mark Tully, Vandana Shiva