Sohil Vaidya

Last updated

Sohil Vaidya
Sohil Vaidya.jpg
Sohil Vaidya at 52nd International Film Festival of India
Born31 March (2024-03-31)
Pune, India
EducationMFA Film Production
Alma materUniversity of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts
AwardsPlatinum Remi Award at WorldFest Houston. Leo Award at DaVinci International Film Festival, Grand Prix at Melbourne International Film Festival.
Websitewww.sohilvaidya.com

Sohil Vaidya is an Indian writer and film director. His films have screened at top tier festivals including Rotterdam, [1] [2] Chicago, Raindance, Melbourne, [3] International Film Festival India, [4] [5] [6] Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, [7] [8] LA Asian Pacific [9] and have won him awards like Directors Guild of America's Best Asian American Student Filmmaker Award, [10] [11] [6] Grand Prix for Best Short at Melbourne International Film Festival, [3] Platinum Remi at Worldfest Houston, [6] Leo Award at DaVinci International Film Festival. [6] [12]

Contents

Early life and education

Vaidya was born in Pune, [13] India. He attended Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya's School and Junior College. He later attended Sinhagad College of Science where he did Master's in Computer Science. During this time he got interested in cinema. He started watching films at National Film Archive of India and developed liking for Stanley Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Yasujiro Ozu, Wong Kar Wai and Satyajit Ray. [14] He subsequently was selected for University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts where he did his MFA in Film Production with focus on writing and directing. [15] At USC Sohil received James Bridges Directing Scholarship and Edward Thomas Troutner Cinematography Scholarship. [16]

Films

Murmurs of the Jungle

Murmurs of the Jungle had its world premiere at 52nd International Film Festival of India in Indian Panorama for Non-Feature Films. [4] [5] It had its International Premiere at 51st International Film Festival Rotterdam. [1] [2] It won the Best Short Award at National Film Development Corporation's Film Bazaar. [17] It was subsequently screened at Chicago, [3] Raindance, [3] Camden, 49th Athens International Film + Video Festival [18] and the 16th SiGNs Film Festival, Kerala, India in Documentary Focus Section. [19]

It won the top prize of the shorts section i.e Grand Prix at Melbourne International Film Festival. [20] [21]

The Timekeeper

The Timekeeper is about a man desperately seeks to preserve his lifelong passion for creating analog clocks in an era of digital totality. [22] It had its world premiere at 37th Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival [7] [8] and later it was screened at Dharamshala International Film Festival, [23] [24] Oxford Film Festival [25] [26] and Indie Meme Film Festival. [27]

Geeta

Geeta is a film about modern day slavery. [28] Nimisha Menon of Indie short magazine describes it saying "Sohil Vaidya weaves an emotional drama on the illegal trafficking that brings 15,000 people to the American shores as forced labourers, all through the eyes of Geeta.Geeta is a testament to the collective injustice that exists in the society and how even the educated, well-informed individuals of the so-called modern and developed world remain entrapped in it, much like Geeta herself…". [29] Geeta had its world premiere at LA Shorts [16] and was screened at Long Beach Independent Film Festival, [30] Seattle Social Justice Film Festival, [16] New Generation Indian Independent Film Festival, Frankfurt, [31] DTLA Film Festival, [16] [6] and nominated at NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Film Festival as best short film. [6] It was included in the list of 10 shorts chronicling pan Asian experiences by Kajal Mag. [32]

Difficult People

Sohil Vaidya at the Directors Guild of America's Award ceremony Sohil Vaidya - DGA.jpg
Sohil Vaidya at the Directors Guild of America's Award ceremony

Difficult People is a look at masculinity in contemporary culture and is about a stubborn father and son learning to deal with each other after matriarchs passing. It has Abhay Mahajan and Chittranjan Giri in Lead roles. [33] It had its world premiere at 69th Montercatini International Film Festival. [34] It won the Directors Guild of America's Best Asian American Filmmaker Award, [6] [10] Platinum Remi Award at WorldFest Houston, [6] Leo Award at Da Vinci International Film Festival, [6] [12] Jelly Fest award [6] [35] and best cinematography award at Little Wings Film Festival in London. [6] [36] Abhay Mahajan won Best actor in Lead Role at Jaipur International Film Festival. [37] Difficult People was screened at Palm Spring Short Fest, [38] Edmonton International Film Festival, [39] Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, [9] Bentonville Film Festival, [40] Crossroad Film Festival, Mississippi, [41] Newport Beach Film Festival, [42] Arizona International Film Festival, [43] Westchester International Film Festival, [44] Houston Asian American and Pacific Islander Film Festival, [45] IFFSA Toronto, Ottawa Indian Film Festival, New York Indian Film Festival, [46] USA Film Festival, [47] Roxbury International Film Festival, [48] Nepal America International Film Festival, Middlebury NewFilmmakers Festival, Catalina International Film Festival, Santa Cruz International Film Festival, [49] Film Four Corners Film Festival, Revolution Me Film Festival, Fayetteville Film Festival, Ojai Film Festival, [50] Silicon Valley Asian Film Festival, South Asian Film Festival of America, [51] New Generations Independent Film Festival, Frankfurt.

Omeleto described it saying "Difficult People" is a unique and soulful film, whose singular nature emerges gently but confidently as the story unfurls and builds to a subtle and moving ending. The short has a matter-of-fact, even offhand cultural specificity that captures an authentic sense of Mumbai, but at its heart, the arc concerns itself with an emotionally relatable, even universal, story about family, love, identity and independence." [52] Nidhi Verma of Platform Magazine described it as " Difficult People deals insight-fully with a father-son relationship after the loss of the mother, the economic constraints of the middle class and the ambition of the artist to break free. The story is deeply rooted in Bombay's cultural ethos, and yet universally highlights the complexity of loss, filial relationships and the difficulties of pursuing one's artistic ambitions."[ citation needed ]

Samir

This collaborative project involved nine directors, each directing a specific episode as part of the USC class titled: "Special Problems in Directing." The selection process for this class is highly competitive, with nine directors chosen from USC and assigned a script previously written by nine other writers in the preceding semester.

"Samir" represents a contemporary adaptation of the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo." Notably, the film has been acquired by Warner Brothers for distribution, marking a significant achievement in Sohil Vaidya's filmmaking career. [53]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasia International Film Festival</span> Canadian film festival

Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on niche, B-rated and low budget movies in various genres, from horror to sci-fi. Regularly held in July/August, by 2016 its annual audience had already surpassed 100,000 viewers and outgrown even the Montreal World Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield DocFest</span> Documentary festival in Sheffield, England

Sheffield DocFest, is an international documentary festival and Industry Marketplace held annually in Sheffield, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival</span> Horror films festival in South Korea

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, or BiFan, formerly known as Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea. Inaugurated in 1997, the festival focuses on South Korean and international horror, thriller, mystery and fantasy films, with particular attention to Asian cinema from East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is a non-competitive international film festival, with partial competition, awarding a number of awards.

Enigma is a 2009 science-fiction short film. It is written and directed by the Shumway Brothers.

ShortsTV is a worldwide network dedicated to short films. ShortsTV has over 13,000 titles in its catalog and has been a presenter of the Oscar Nominated Short Film releases since 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abhay Kumar</span> Indian artist, author, diplomat and poet

Abhay Kumar [Pen Name Abhay K.] is an Indian poet-diplomat, editor, translator and anthologist. and currently serves as the deputy director general of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2003 after doing master's in geography at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Kirorimal College, Delhi University. He served as India's 21st ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros from 2019-2022 and as India's Deputy Ambassador to Brazil from 2016-2019. He earlier served as Spokesperson and First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal from 2012-2016 and as Acting Consul General of India in St. Petersburg, and Third/Second Secretary at Indian Embassy, Moscow,Russia from 2005 to 2010. He served as Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of External Affairs from 2010-2012 and sent out the first tweet on its behalf in 2010 starting a new era of India's Digital Diplomacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudhanshu Saria</span>

Sudhanshu Saria is an Indian filmmaker. Born in the tea estates of Darjeeling, India, he attended The Doon School and graduated from Ithaca College in New York, with a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Photography. He made his directorial debut with the 2015 romantic drama Loev. Saria won a National Film Award for directing the short film Knock, Knock, Knock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachelle Henry</span> American actress and filmmaker

Rachelle Henry is an American actress and filmmaker. She played the role of Sandy Hobbs in the TLC Series Escaping the Prophet and Lissa Golaski in Depth, the film prequel to the Soma by Frictional Games. She is also known for directing and producing short films containing messages of social influence and coming of age themes including Missing,Defining Moments, and Almost Boyfriends.

Dana Offenbach is American film and television producer and director. She is the founder of CinemaStreet Pictures, LLC. Her credits include feature films, TV, shorts, television commercials, awards show segments, public service announcements, interstitial programming, documentaries and music videos.

Shiladitya Bora is an Indian film producer, director, marketer and distributor. He is the founder of Platoon One Films, a Mumbai-based film production studio. Bora was born and brought up in Assam and completed his undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Ahmedabad. He started his film career by spearheading the indie release banner PVR Pictures' Directors' Rare, a limited release arm of India's biggest film exhibitor, PVR Cinemas group. Under this banner, he successfully released more than 85 independent films. In 2015, Bora was recognised for his work in marketing and distribution and was selected as one of the Berlinale Talents of the year. As the first CEO of Drishyam Films, Bora served as an Associate Producer on critically acclaimed films like Masaan (2015) and Newton (2017). He helped develop Newton from a one-line pitch to a story and greenlit the film to production. Newton went on to be selected as India's official entry for the 90th Academy Awards. In 2017, Bora founded Platoon One Films, a Mumbai based production studio with his wife and costume designer Shilpi Agarwal. Platoon One Films' maiden Hindi production Yours Truly, directed by Sanjoy Nag, starring Soni Razdan, Pankaj Tripathi and Aahana Kumra, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival 2018 and travelled to many festivals worldwide. Platoon One Films then went on to produce the National Award-Winning Marathi film Picasso, directed by Abhijeet Warang and starring Prasad Oak. He is also the producer for 2023 Indian Marathi-language thriller drama, Ghaath which was nominated to compete for the Panorama Audience Award and GWFF Best First Feature Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QCinema International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival in Quezon City, Philippines

The QCinema International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Quezon City, Philippines. The festival showcases local and international films, documentaries, and short films, and gives grants to their creators. As of 2017, the venues for the festival are Trinoma, Gateway Mall, Robinsons Galleria, and U.P. Town Center.

The Toronto International Film Festival NETPAC Prize is an annual film award, presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema to honour the best film from the Asia-Pacific region screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. The award was presented for the first time in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Independent Film Festival</span> Annual festival held in San Francisco, California, U.S.

The San Francisco Independent Film Festival, known as IndieFest, is an annual film festival, held in January or February, that recognizes contemporary independent film. It is run by SF IndieFest, a non-profit organization, and based at the Roxie Theater in the Mission District.

<i>Ala Kachuu – Take and Run</i> 2020 Swiss short film

Ala Kachuu – Take and Run is a 2020 Swiss short film directed by Maria Brendle and produced by Nadine Lüchinger and Flavio Gerber, Filmgerberei. The film is about a Kyrgyz girl who falls victim to bride kidnapping.

Dear Chickens is a short dramedy. The film's run time is 14 minutes. It was co-written and directed by Mauro Mueller, and produced by Björn Hering, Mauro Mueller, Tim Birkhofer and David Figueroa García, and co-produced by Rocio Lopez. The film was shot by Mexican cinematographer Andrea González Mereles.

<i>Burros</i> 2021 American film

Burros is a 2021 American short drama film written and directed by Jefferson Stein and starring a cast of first-time actors from the Tohono O'odham Nation where it is set. Eva Longoria serves as an executive producer.

<i>The Critic</i> (2019 film) 2019 American film

The Critic is an American psychological thriller short film written and directed by Stella Velon. It is the story of an award-winning actress who faces her harshest critic during an interview gone wrong. The film stars Stella Velon and Alan Smyth, and explores themes of fame, drug addiction, mental health and impostor syndrome. The Critic had its world premiere at the Boston Film Festival in September 2018 and it was first released on Amazon Prime Video in June 2019 as part of Amazon Studios' inaugural All Voices Film Festival, where it was named one of the five winning films.

<i>Skin: The Movie</i> 2018 film by Ronn Kilby

Skin: The Movie is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Ronn Kilby. The film stars Mark Christopher Lawrence, Diane Sargent, Michelle Way, Merrick McCartha and "Shotgun Tom" Kelly.

<i>Leave Em Laughing</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Chris Cashman

Leave 'Em Laughing is a 2020 drama short film directed by Chris Cashman and written by Cashman, Carlo Coppo and Christopher Lusti. The film stars Matthew Glave, Pete Gardner and Barrie Chase. It screened at San Diego International Film Festival, The Valley Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival and won Best Art Design at Oceanside International Film Festival. The story is set around Dick Shawn's final act at University of California, San Diego.

<i>Warsha</i> 2022 Lebanese film

Warsha is a 2022 French-Lebanese short film directed by Dania Bdeir. The fifteen-minute short stars multidisciplinary performer Khansa, who plays a migrant worker and crane operator in Beirut. After its premiere at Sundance Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Short Film, the film has been presented in numerous international film festivals, including the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and the Seminci Valladolid Film Festival, where it won the Rainbow for Best Film. The short advanced to the shortlist for the 95th Academy Awards under the category of Best Live Action Short Film, but did not qualify to the final five. The short also competed in the 48th César Awards.

References

  1. 1 2 "Murmurs of the Jungle | IFFR". iffr. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 "'Malik', 'Crescent Night': Indian films dominate International Film Festival Rotterdam". The Economic Times. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Murmurs of the Jungle - IMDb , retrieved 25 November 2022
  4. 1 2 "Murmurs of the Jungle". my.iffigoa. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Indian Panorama Announces Official Selection For 52nd IFFI 2021". Pragativadi. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Sohil Vaidya". IMDb. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  7. 1 2 "RIIFF 2019 Program Guide by George T Marshall - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Rhode Island International Film Festival 2019 – The Timekeeper". We are moving stories. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  9. 1 2 "DIFFICULT PEOPLE". 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  10. 1 2 "DGA Announces Winners of 24th Annual Student Film Awards -". dga. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Pune resident's student film about graffiti artists wins top honour at DGA awards". The Indian Express. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  12. 1 2 "2019 Showcase Winners - DaVinci International Film Festival". 26 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Meet Sohil Vaidya - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide".
  14. ↑ "Sohil Vaidya". platform-mag. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "Viddssee" (PDF). University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts . June 2019. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Pune-Born Sohil Vaidya's Film Shortlisted For Four Film Fests". The Indian Express. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  17. ↑ Bazaarindia, Film. "Film Bazaar India" . Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "Land and Lore – Shorts 2022 | Athens International Film + Video Festival - 1–7 April 2022" . Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  19. ↑ "Selections – SiGNS" . Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  20. ↑ "Murmurs of the Jungle".
  21. ↑ "MIFF Shorts Awards".
  22. ↑ Vaidya, Sohil (7 August 2019), The Timekeeper (Documentary, Short), retrieved 16 June 2022
  23. ↑ "DIFF 2019 Catalogue.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  24. ↑ "8th edition of Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) from 7 November, announces full line-up". filmfestivals. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  25. ↑ "2020 Oxford Film Festival". 2020oxff.eventive. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  26. ↑ "17th Annual Oxford Film Festival Program by Oxford Film Festival - Issuu". issuu. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  27. ↑ "The Timekeeper | An Indie Meme Presentation". Indie Meme. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  28. ↑ Vaidya, Sohil (1 February 2017), Geeta (Short, Drama), University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, retrieved 16 June 2022
  29. ↑ says, Aparna (4 March 2019). "Short Film Review: 'Geeta' Is A Witness To The Silent, Unscrupulous Conscious Of The Society… - Indie Shorts Mag" . Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  30. ↑ "5th Annual Long Beach Indie International Film Festival Returns Thurs., Aug. 30 - Sun., Sept. 2". PRWeb. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  31. ↑ "New Generations Short Film Wallah – New Generations – Independent Indian Filmfestival" . Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  32. ↑ "10 Short Films Chronicling Pan-Asian Experiences". Kajal Magazine. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  33. ↑ Vaidya, Sohil (13 May 2018), Kashmakash (Short, Drama), Magic Lantern Productions, retrieved 16 June 2022
  34. ↑ "Official Selection 2018". Montecatini International Short Film Festival (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  35. ↑ "SEASON 3 WINNERS". jellyFEST FILM FESTIVAL. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  36. ↑ "Little Wing Film Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  37. ↑ "Abhay Mahajan". IMDb. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  38. ↑ "Difficult People | Palm Springs International Film Festival". psfilmfest. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  39. ↑ "Short Stop: Passports 6" (PDF). Edmonton International Film Festival. 26 September – 5 October 2019. p. 53. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  40. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (8 May 2019). "Netflix's 'Good Sam' To Make World Premiere At Bentonville Film Festival; 'Blinded By The Light' Added To Lineup". Deadline. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  41. ↑ "2019 Crossroads Film Festival program by Crossroads Film Festival - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  42. ↑ "Difficult People [Kashmakash]". Newport Beach Film Festival. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  43. ↑ "Arizona International Film Festival : Difficult People". www.filmfestivalarizona. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  44. ↑ "Small Town, Big Film" (PDF). westchesterfilmfestival. 26–28 April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  45. ↑ "Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival - HAAPIFEST 2019". www.ocahouston.org. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  46. ↑ "NYIFF 2019". iaac.us. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  47. ↑ "49th Annual USA Film Festival" (PDF). Angelika Film Center Dallas. 24–28 April 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  48. ↑ "SHORTS 1: Paternal Connections". Roxbury International Film Festival. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  49. ↑ "17th Santa Cruz Festival" (PDF). 8–13 October 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  50. ↑ Festival, Ojai Film (1 September 2019). "Difficult People -" . Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  51. ↑ "Official Selections 2019". South Asian Film Festival Of America. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  52. ↑ "Difficult People | Drama Short Film". Omeleto. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  53. ↑ "Sohil Vaidya". www.platform-mag.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.