Shalini Kantayya | |
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![]() Kantayya at the Environmental Media Awards in 2016 | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Hampshire College (BA) City College of New York (MFA) |
Occupations |
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Agent | Lavin Agency |
Known for | Fox's On the Lot, Catching the Sun,A Drop of Life |
Television | On the Lot,Breakthrough |
Website | www |
Shalini Kantayya is an American filmmaker and environmental activist based in Brooklyn, New York, whose films explore human rights at the intersection of water, food, and renewable energy. Kantayya is best known for her debut feature documentary, Catching the Sun.
Born to Indian parents with a mother who emigrated to the United States, [1] Kantayya was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. [2] She received a BA in Media Studies and International Human Rights from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and an MFA in Film Direction from the City College of New York. [2]
Kantayya finished in the top 10 out of 12,000 filmmakers on Fox’s On the Lot, a reality television talent show by Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett and David Goffin. [3] [ failed verification ]
She founded the production company 7th Empire Media in 2011. [4]
Set in the near future, A DROP OF LIFE is the story of two women, a village teacher in rural India and an African American corporate executive, whose disparate lives intersect when they are both confronted with lack of access to clean drinking water. [5]
Kantayya's sci-fi film about the world water crisis, A Drop of Life, was broadcast on national television in the U.S. and India. [6] The film was used by the African Water Network as a tool to organize for water rights in 40 villages across Africa. [7]
Kantayya's feature-length documentary, Catching the Sun, premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival [8] [9] and was named a New York Times Critics’ Pick. [10] It’s also part of American Film Showcase, [11] and was planned to be shown at U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions abroad. Catching the Sun premiered globally on Netflix on Earth Day 2016 with Executive Producer Leonardo DiCaprio, [12] and won the Best Feature award at the San Francisco Green Film Festival.[ citation needed ]
In 2016, Kantayya directed an episode for the National Geographic series: Breakthrough. [13] The series was executive produced by Ron Howard which will air in the spring of 2017 "in 440 million homes in 171 countries and in 45 languages, as well as on the Spanish language network Nat Geo Mundo". [14] The new series documents "scientific explorers from leading universities and institutions and how their cutting-edge innovations and advancements will change our lives in the immediate future and beyond". [15]
Coded Bias is an American documentary film that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. [16] It was directed by Kantayya and follows researchers and advocates, principally MIT computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, as they explore how algorithms encode and propagate bias. [17] [18] [19] [20]
Kantayya has received recognition from the Sundance Documentary Program, [21] IFP Spotlight on Documentary,[ citation needed ] New York Women in Film and Television,[ citation needed ] John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, [22] [23] and the Jerome Hill Centennial. She is a Sundance Fellow,[ citation needed ] TED Fellow, [24] a finalist for the ABC | DGA Directing Fellowship, [25] and a Fulbright Scholar.[ citation needed ]
In 2013, Kantayya revealed in a New York Times op-ed that she had been sexually assaulted in India while there to film a project for a United States–based organization. She proceeded to press charges and was later diagnosed with PTSD, which inspired her to speak out against sexual assault not only in India but also the United States. [1]
A Jihad for Love is a 2008 documentary film and was the world's first film on Islam and homosexuality. It took a total of six years to make and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007. It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2008 as the opening documentary film for the Panorama section.
Heather Rae is an American film and television producer and director. She has worked on documentary and narrative film projects, specializing in those with Native American themes, and is best known for Frozen River, Trudell and Tallulah.
In 1969, Robert Redford purchased 6,000 acres (24 km2) at the base of 12,000-foot (3,700 m) Mount Timpanogos in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. He named this land Sundance. The Sundance Group is a listing of all the businesses that run under the Sundance corporate umbrella started by and run by actor Robert Redford.
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers from all over the world. At the core of the programs is the goal to introduce audiences to the artists' new work, aided by the institute's labs, granting and mentorship programs that take place throughout the year in the United States and internationally.
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,660 attending in 2016. The festival takes place every January in Park City, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and at the Sundance Resort, and acts as a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival consists of competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, both feature films and short films, and a group of out-of-competition sections, including NEXT, New Frontier, Spotlight, Midnight, Sundance Kids, From the Collection, Premieres, and Documentary Premieres. Many films premiering at Sundance have gone on to be nominated and win Oscars such as Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The San Francisco Green Film Festival was an environmental film festival which was held annually from 2011 to 2019.
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Catching the Sun is a 2015 documentary film on the growth of the solar power industry that premiered on Netflix in April, 2016. Directed by Shalini Kantayya, the film features portraits of diverse personalities and their roles in the transition to solar power. Unemployed workers in Richmond, California, businessmen in China, Tea Party activists, and a would-be White House adviser are all featured in the film. The film debunks a false dilemma that clean energy requires sacrificing economic prosperity.
Penny Lane is an American independent filmmaker, known for her documentary films. Her humor and unconventional approach to the documentary form, including the use of archival Super 8 footage and YouTube videos, have earned her critical acclaim.
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Margaret Betts is an American filmmaker. Her debut feature Novitiate was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Jury Award for her direction.
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Coded Bias is an American documentary film directed by Shalini Kantayya that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The film includes contributions from researchers Joy Buolamwini, Deborah Raji, Meredith Broussard, Cathy O’Neil, Zeynep Tufekci, Safiya Noble, Timnit Gebru, Virginia Eubanks, and Silkie Carlo, and others.
Giant Pictures is an American independent film distribution company founded by Nick Savva and Jeff Stabenau with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. The company releases feature films, documentaries and series on streaming platforms, with an emphasis on flexibility and customization for filmmakers. Giant Pictures owns and operates specialty theatrical label, Drafthouse Films. Giant is the distribution and technology partner of the Tribeca Festival.
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