Kautik International Film Festival
Former Uttarakhand CM /former Maharashtra & Goa governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari addresses the gathering at Kautik 2023.
On the banks of the Ganges
Parmarth Niketan Ashram, P.O. Swargashram, Rishikesh (Himalayas), Uttarakhand – 249304, India.
Organisers
Rajesh “Kaku” Shah
FTII product in cinematography, with degrees in science and law, and an MBA. He has been the chief assistant cameraman of films such as Naseem, Kabhi Pass Kabhi Fail, Choo Lenge Akash, Foto, Ek Hasina Thi, Johnny Gaddar, Naina, 3 Idiots, Ek Choti Si Love Story, and Lage Raho Munna Bhai.
Shalini Shah
CEO of Akriti Productions & a National Film Award winner. She assisted Saeed Akhtar Mirza on his National Award winning film ‘Naseem’ and has done newsreels such as Uchalia Tribe for Films Division. She has served on the jury of the International Film Festival of India, and the National Film Awards.
Christopher Dalton
Film critic. Festival director, Mumbai International Student Film Festival. Artistic director, Chalachitram National Film Festival. Editor, Journal of Indian Cinema. Founder, Cinema Society of India, & House of Illusions. He has served on the jury of MG University, and the National Film Awards.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami
Felicitated by Kautik Festival Director Rajesh “Kaku” Shah
Jury | 2023
The 7th edition had 6 jury panels, each comprising 3 members.
Eleonora Olivia Bălănescu
Jury — Best Feature Film
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Letters, University of Craiova, Romania. Her research covers several areas across the humanities, including gender studies, postcolonialism and exile.
Surendar Chawdhary
Jury — Best Feature Film
Former professor of Film Direction at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII),
Sudhir Tandon
Jury — Best Feature Film
PSBT mentor /evaluator. Associate director: The Inner Path Festival of Buddhist Art, Film & Philosophy. Recipient: Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s Miller Award.
Katharina Suckale
Jury — Best Short Fiction Film
German film producer with over 30 years of experience in the business and art of feature film, TV, advertising and corporate film production, right from conception to development, production, sales and distribution stages.
Deepa Ganesh
Jury — Best Short Fiction Film
Professor, & Executive Director of the Centre for Visual and Performing Arts at RV University. Worked with The Hindu for 20 years as Deputy Editor, heading the culture and education pages. Published over 1500 newspaper articles. Served as the Editor of the Karnataka Sahitya Academy literary journal, Aniketana. Edited ten books.
Umamaheswara Rao
Jury — Best Short Fiction Film
Chairman of Dadasaheb Phalke School of Film and Media. Founder of Centre for New Perspectives in Film and Media. National Film Award and Nandi Award winning filmmaker. Has served on the jury of the National Film Awards, the Indian film entry for the Oscars, the Andhra Pradesh State Awards, and the UNESCO Ladli Awards.
Beena Paul
Jury — Best Documentary Film
Former artistic director of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Former vice chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. And co-founder of the Women in Cinema Collective.
Joshy Joseph
Jury — Best Documentary Film
Winner of 7 National Film Awards; 6 for filmmaking, and 1 for Best Writing on Cinema. Author of 3 books in Malayalam. Officially associated while shooting Ang Lee’s Life of Pi.
Vinta Nanda
Jury — Best Documentary Film
Writer-director-producer of hit TV series Tara, Raahein, Raahat, Aur Phir Ek Din and Miilee. Trustee at CORO India. Former Director Programming at Zee Network. Director of the documentary Shout, and the critically acclaimed White Noise, starring Rahul Bose and Koel Purie. Editor of The Daily Eye.
Luiza Budejko
Jury — Best Animation Film
Winner of the House of Illusions award for Best Student Short Fiction Film at Kautik 2023 and the Best Short Fiction Film award at the Mumbai International Student Film Festival. Graduate of the Gdynia Film School, as well as the Film Pre-School at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Directing and the Academy of Music.
Ratan S’il Sarma
Jury — Best Animation Film
Ratan Sil Sarma is primarily a film colorist and film editor. He started out as a promo producer for such places as Network 18 (3 years), before donning the role of the production head at Focus Hifi (9 years). He presently owns his own post production company, Box Digital India. His directorial debut won the Best Children’s Film at the Prag Cine Awards.
Debajit Changmai
Jury — Best Animation Film
Voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science (OSCAR) since 2018. Winner of a National Film Award & an Assamese State Film Award. Re-recording mixer of films such as Sam Bahadur, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, Gangubai Kathiawadi, Kaabil, Dangal, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Krrish 3, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, & Shootout at Wadala.
Alvaro Turrion
Jury — House of Illusions awards
Award-winning Spanish musician—keyboard player of the Lie Detectors band, winner of the Best Original Soundtrack Award for ‘Cirilo’ at the Videocorto Nettuno Festival, and music composer of ‘Magoado’, nominated at the International Film Festival of India. He is presently cutting an album with Spanish superstar singers.
Dipsikha Bhagawati
Jury — House of Illusions awards
Writes on cinema and literature in a variety of journals and newspapers, and is a Govt. of Assam & British Council teacher holding a PhD on TS Eliot. She is the granddaughter of Uday Chandra Bhagawati, a doyen and one of the pioneers of the erstwhile NE traveling drama troupes.
Yashodhara Katkar
Jury — House of Illusions awards
Former principal of LN Welingkar Institute of Management.
Sreehari Nair
Jury — Film Critics Circle of India awards
Reviews contemporary Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil films for Rediff. Previously, he reviewed for the Huffington Post.
Amartya Acharya
Jury — Film Critics Circle of India awards
Reviews films for High on Films, Digital Mafia Talkies, and Film Fugitives. Additionally, he does film podcasts.
Darshana Goswami
Jury — Film Critics Circle of India awards
Assistant professor who did her PhD on Doris Lessing and authored the book ‘Tiny Individuals in Doris Lessing’s Fiction.’ She has also done research projects on Nirupama Borgohain, Mamoni Raisom Goswami, and Amrita Pritam; and edited two books, ‘Verve’ and ‘Cascade.’ A regularly contributor to journals and newspapers, she has a deep inclination towards folklore, modern and post-modern fiction, cinema, and gender studies.
Jury | 2022
The 6th edition had 10 jury panels, each comprising 3 members.
Beena Paul
Jury — Best Feature Film
Former artistic director of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Former vice chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. And co-founder of the Women in Cinema Collective.
Surendar Chawdhary
Jury — Best Feature Film
Former professor of Film Direction at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII),
Yogesh Mathur
Jury — Best Feature Film
Former HOD of the Film Editing Department of FTII.
CK Murlidharan
Jury — Best Cinematography
Cinemagrapher of Panipat, Mohenjo Daro, PK, 3 Idiots, Johnny Gaddaar, Lage Raho Munna Bhai…
Anil Mehta
Jury — Best Cinematography
Cinematographer of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Badlapur, Wake Up Sid, Lagaan, Khamoshi, Saathiya, Veer-Zaara…
Sunny Joseph
Jury — Best Cinematography
Cinematographer of Alicinte Anweshanam, Vasthuhara, Piravi…
Nishant Radhakrishnan
Jury — Best Editing
Editor of Dhobi Ghat. First assistant editor of Ghajini.
Suresh Pai
Jury — Best Editing
Double National Award winning film editor. Editorof Page 3, Jhankaar Beats, Raghu Romeo, Jhalki, Bheja Fry, RK/RKAY.
Prashant Naik
Jury — Best Editing
Triple National Award winning film editor. HOD of editing dept. at Whistling Woods.
Swanand Kirkire
Jury — Best Screenplay
Dialogues writer /lyricist /actor. Triple National Award winner: Best Supporting Actor, for Chumbak; & Best Lyrics, for 3 Idiots, and Lage Raho Munna Bhai.
Charudutt Acharya
Jury — Best Screenplay
TV series writer. Known for Aranyak, Dum Maaro Dum, and Haqeeqat.
Aleksandra Biernacka
Jury — Best Screenplay
Film curator /editor /journalist, presently with the Gdynia Film School. Has introduced films to the Venice Film Festival, Berlinale, and the Oscars.
Chandraprakash Dwivedi
Jury — Best Actor /Actress
Padma Shri winning actor-director. Donned the titular role in the TV series ‘Chanakya’
Simone Mariani
Jury — Best Actor /Actress
Actor-director. Winner of the Best Italian Docu at Roma CineDoc, and Critics Prize at Akab Film Festival. Acted in “Inferno” starring Tom Hanks.
Mukesh Tiwari
Jury — Best Actor /Actress
Actor. Known for roles in Golmaal, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Chennai Express, Gangaajal, and Dilwale.
Virendra Saini
Jury — Best Short Fiction
Former FTII director. Double National Film Award winner; one for cinematography, and another for film direction. Cinematographer of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, Katha, and Sparsh.
Zachary Coffin
Jury — Best Short Fiction
American Actor/ writer /director. Has served as judge for Miss South Asia & Miss India America pageant, & President of the Barnard/Columbia Filmmakers Club started by Brian De Palma.
Manik Ratna
Jury — Best Short Fiction
Kathmandu based filmmaker. FTII-Pune in film direction batch of 1989-1992.
Sudhir Tandon
Jury — Best Documentary
PSBT mentor /evaluator. Associate director: The Inner Path Festival of Buddhist Art, Film & Philosophy. Recipient: Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s Miller Award.
Mike Pandey
Jury — Best Documentary
Triple Green Oscar Award, National Film Award, and V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award winning documentary filmmaker.
Naresh Bedi
Jury — Best Documentary
Padmi Shri, Green Oscar Award, Earth Watch Award of National Geographic Society, & Eastman Kodak Award winning wildlife photographer/cinematographer.
Sudheer Palsane
Jury — Best Animation
Cinematographer of M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story; Baby; Vihir; and Ko: Yad, Recipient of National Film Award for Best Cinematography, and Asia Pacific Screen Award for Achievement in Cinematography.
Sourav Sarangi
Jury — Best Animation
Nominee for the Cinema Fairbindet Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Winner of two National Film Awards, and a Golden Kapok Award at the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival.
Resul Pookutty
Jury — Best Animation
Oscar, BAFTA, National Film Award, Apsara (Producers Guild of India), CAS (Cinema Audio Society, USA) and Golden Reel (Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA) winning sound designer, best known for his work in Slumdog Millionaire.
Saibal Chatterjee
Jury — Film Critics Circle of India awards
Former festival director of the Pondicherry International Film Festival. National Award winning film critic. Author of a book on Gulzar. Co-editor of a book on films. And documentary scriptwriter. He has been a staff writer of The Telegraph, The Times of India, and Outlook; the editor of TV World; a consultant to Zee Premiere, and a key member of the editorial board of Encyclopaedia Brittanica’s Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema.
Piyush Roy
Jury — Film Critics Circle of India awards
Winner of a National Film Award (India); and the Sir William Darling Memorial Prize by the University of Edinburgh, the Sue Grant Service Award, and the Silver Award at the Shine! British Council International Student Awards (all UK). He’s a former editor of Stardust, advisor of the Global University Students Film Festival (Hong Kong), and festival director of the Edinburgh Festival of Indian Films and Docs.
MK Raghavendra
Jury — Film Critics Circle of India awards
Film/literary scholar, theorist, critic and writer who has authored six volumes on cinema, and contributed to numerous newspapers and periodicals in India and outside. National Award winning film critic. Co-founder of the film journal ‘Deep Focus’. Founder-editor of ‘Phalanx’. And member of both FCCI and FIPRESCI. He has served twice on the jury of the Indian Panorama.
Tigmanshu Dhulia
Jury — House of Illusions awards
Director of Paan Singh Tomar; and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. Dialogue writer of Dil Se.. Actor in Gangs of Wasseypur. Casting director of Bandit Queen. Recipient of Stardust Award, Filmfare Award, and National Film Award.
Sunil Puranik
Jury — House of Illusions awards
Former chairman of the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, which organises the Bangalore International Film Festival. Has served on the jury of the National Film Awards and IFFI. Recipient: Kempegowda Award, Aryabhata Award, Chitra Rasikara Prashasti Award, Indira Priyadarshini Award, and Karnataka State Film Award.
Umamaheshwara Rao
Jury — House of Illusions awards
Chairman of Dadasaheb Phalke School of Film and Media. Founder of Centre for New Perspectives in Film and Media. National Film Award and Nandi Award winning filmmaker. Has served on the jury of the National Film Awards, the Indian film entry for the Oscars, the Andhra Pradesh State Awards, and the UNESCO Ladli Awards.
Contact
festival.director.kautik@gmail.com
+91 – 94113 44136 | Kaku
+91 – 807 577 6287 | Dalton
Early Bird Submissions
Feb 10 – Feb 29
No fees for early bird