The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venice Film Festival in 1932, Cannes Film Festival in 1939 and Berlin Film Festival in 1951. Originally launched at Olinda outside Melbourne in 1952 as the Olinda Film Festival, in 1953, the event was renamed the Melbourne Film Festival. It held this title over many decades before transforming in the Melbourne International Film Festival. MIFF is one of Melbourne's four major film festivals, in addition to the Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF), Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) and Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF). Erwin Rado was the Melbourne Film Festival's iconic director appointed in 1956. The Australian Dictionary of Biography notes Mr Rado was the Festival's first paid director and also shaped its character with his 'uncompromising drive for excellence'. He served as MIFF Director until 1980, returning to stage the 1983 event. Other notable Directors include Tait Brady, Sandra Sdraulig, James Hewison, Artistic Director Michelle Carey and current AD, Al Cossar appointed 2018.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film Swayamvaram (1972), Gopalakrishnan pioneered the new wave in Malayalam cinema during the 1970s. In a career spanning over five decades, Gopalakrishnan has made only 12 feature films to date. His films are made in the Malayalam language and often depict the society and culture of his native state Kerala. Nearly all of his films premiered at Venice, Cannes and Toronto International Film Festival. Along with Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, Gopalakrishnan is one of the most recognized Indian film directors in world cinema.
The International Film Festival of Kerala is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. The festival is held in November or December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in India.
Madhupal Kannambathu is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Madhupal made his acting debut with Kashmeeram in 1994 and his directorial debut with Thalappavu (2008), which was about Naxal Varghese and won several awards in 2008.
Gayatri Das known professionally as Geetu Mohandas is an Indian film actress and director known for her works in Malayalam cinema and Bollywood. In 2013, she directed the socio political film Liar's Dice which has received two National Film Awards, was premiered at Sundance Film Festival, and was chosen by the Government of India as India's entry for the U.S. 87th Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, but was not shortlisted or nominated.
Thazhathupurakkal Karunakara Panicker Rajeev Kumar is a National Award-winning Indian director of Malayalam films, from Trivandrum. He is the winner of five Kerala State Film Awards for Best Film, Director, Story Writer & Script Writer, a show director, theatre actor and percussionist (Mridangam). He is a founding member and leader of the musical band Blue Birds in 1980 and Super Mimics, a comedy show in 1979. He is also the Kerala University winner of Mono Act in the University Youth Festivals 1980–1982 and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy winner for Mono Act 1979–1982.
ViBGYOR Film Festival is an international short and documentary film festival held annually in Thrissur City in Kerala state of India. ViBGYOR Film Festival is organised by ViBGYOR Film collective, a coalition of Chetana Media Institute, Nottam Traveling Film Festival, Navachitra Film Society, Visual Search, Moving Republic, Cense, GAIA, with the support of Thrissur Municipal Corporation, Jilla Panchayath, Federation of Film Societies of India, Kerala Chalachitra Academy, Information & Public Relations, ActionAid India, ICCO-South Asia and other various Film Societies.
Theodore Asenov Ushev is a Bulgarian animator, film director and screenwriter based in Montreal. He is best known for his work at the National Film Board of Canada, including the 2016 animated short Blind Vaysha, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He is a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France.
Pranayam (transl. Love) is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by Blessy. The film stars Mohanlal, Jaya Prada, and Anupam Kher. The plot revolves around the love bound between the characters of Mathews (Mohanlal), Grace, and Achutha Menon (Kher). The music for the film was composed by M. Jayachandran. The film opened to positive reviews from critics and was also a average at the box office.
Venkiteswaran Chittur Subramanian is an Indian film critic, professor, documentary filmmaker, writer and occasional subtitler from Chalakudi, Kerala, India, who writes predominantly in English and Malayalam. He won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2009.
Jayan K. Cherian is an Indian poet filmmaker who lives in New York City, US. He used to write in Malayalam and English languages. His documentary film Shape of the Shapeless got wide popularity on Many film festivals like International festival circuit, The International Film Festival of South Africa, as well as several festivals in North America. It won the Silver Jury Prize at the San Francisco Short Film Festival 2010, the Eastman Kodak award for Best Cinematography, and City Visions 2010 award for Best Documentary. Graduated with honors from Hunter College, BA in Film and Creative Writing and MFA from The City College of New York in Writing Directing Film, and Cinematography. Ka Bodyscapes (2016) is his new feature film, Papilio Buddha (2013), his critically acclaimed debut feature film, was screened in the Panorama Section at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. He made several experimental documentaries and narrative shorts such as: Shape of the Shapeless (2010) Love in the Time of Foreclosure (2009), Hidden Things (2009), Soul of Solomon (2008), Capturing the Signs of God (2008), Holy Mass (2007), Tree of Life (2007), Simulacra the Reality of the Unreal (2007), The Inner Silence of the Tumult (2007), Hid-entity (2007), and Tandava the Dance of Dissolution(2006).
Katerina Athanasopoulou is a Greek film maker and animation artist.
The Stealth is a 2008 3D animation short film directed by Binoy Mathew and Sajeev Kumar and produced by WaterMelon Studios.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is an Indian poet, lawyer, and filmmaker.
Ashkan Rahgozar is an Iranian author, director and filmmaker of multiple Animation movies. He is founder and chief executive of Hoorakhsh Studios.
Binoy Mathew is an Indian ad film maker. He has directed advertising commercials for various brands in India.
Jiji P Joseph, also known as Jijimon Joseph is a location sound recordist, sound designer and film editor in Indian film industry. He won the first ever Kerala State Film Award 2014 for location sound recording for the film Oraalppokkam and the consecutive year for the film Ozhivudivasathe Kali in fraternization with Sandeep Kurissery. He has fashioned his film career collaborating on feature films and short films in Malayalam cinema.
Ali Zare Ghanatnowi is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, translator, cinema teacher, graphic designer, cameraman, and film producer. An active film-maker from 2000, he had been involved in over twenty films, including animations, shorts, and documentaries. Zare attained critical acclaim for directing Empty View (2017) and Dad's Fragile Doll (2013) which was awarded the best animation of International Open Film Festival (IOFF). His other film Empty View has won multiple international awards, including the best animation of Asians On Film. The music part in Empty View is made by Mohammadreza Aligholi. Empty view has been in the official selections for the best animation in Edmonton International Film Festival in Canada. This festival is among those confirmed by Oscar Academy that is held every year in Edmonton, Alberta. Ali Zare Ghanat Nowi, who had achieved this before by Dad's Fragile Doll being selected in Anima Mundi (event), now again reached this place by Empty View.
Shivaram Mony, is an Indian feature film director, actor and editor who works in Malayalam cinema. He made his directorial debut through Matchbox produced by Revathy Kalamandir owned by G.Suresh Kumar & Menaka. His second feature as a director, editor and a writer was Thi.Mi.Ram which was released on NeeStream OTT platform in April 2021. Thi.Mi.Ram was selected to be included in the Indian Panorama of Chennai International Film Festival 2021. His third feature film is Shubhadinam which was directed and edited by him. Currently he is working on his next feature along with a new generation web series project. He owns and operates his own production house named The Social Scape.
Abdullah Al-Wazzan is a film director, screenwriter and film producer. He was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait in 1990. Al-Wazzan developed an interest in filmmaking in his early preteens. At the age of 17 he studied Architecture, And graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 2012. He went on to create the animated short film Falafel Cart (2019) which was officially submitted to the 92nd Academy Awards in the animated short film category. The film was officially selected at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival and won best international short film at the Los Angeles Animation Festival. In 2021 Al-Wazzan won best animated short film at the Burbank International Film Festival. Falafel Cart received nominations at D.C. Independent Film Festival, Palm Springs International Animation Festival, Southampton International Film Festival and Ajyal Film Festival. And was officially selected at Athens Animfest, Sonoma International Film Festival, Rabat International Author Film Festival and Montreal International Animation Film Festival.
