IFFI 2017 Handbook

PANEL DISCUSSION
Young Filmmakers of India- Emerging Voices and New Narratives
Moderator Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Filmmaker
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari is a gold medalist in Applied Arts from Sophia Polytechnic. While working for
advertising agency Leo Burnett (India), she won several awards, including Cannes Lions. She quit
advertising to follow her passion in filmmaking. Her first short film was What’s for Breakfast?. After
working for over 100 commercials and delivering creative solutions to national/international clients,
she made her narrative feature debut with the highly acclaimed Nil Battey Sannata. She remade the
film in Tamil as Amma Kanakku. Her second feature, Bareilly Ki Barfi, was a sleeper hit.
R.S. Prasanna, Filmmaker
R.S. Prasanna, 33, is a director who debuted in Bollywood this year with the romantic comedy Shubh
Mangal Saavdhaan. The movie, adapted from his own Tamil debut Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013),
was hailed for the sensitive and hilarious treatment of an unusual theme: male impotence. A gold
medal-winner from L.V. Prasad Film School, Chennai, he participated as a young filmmaking talent
at the festivals in Berlin and Busan. Prasanna is a sought after speaker in universities, corporate
outfits. He is currently writing his next Bollywood film to be produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur.
Bhaskar Hazarika, Filmmaker
Bhaskar Hazarika is a writer and filmmaker based in New Delhi. His debut film Kothanodi (2015)
received the Post Production Grant from Asian Cinema Fund and had its World Premiere at the Busan
Film Festival. Kothanodi has since travelled to festivals around the world and received the National
Film Award in 2016. Hazarika’s second feature - Aamis (Voracious) - is under production at present
and is expected to release in 2018.
Karthik Subbaraj, Filmmaker
Karthik Subbaraj is a director-producer in the Tamil Film industry. Hailing from Madurai, he made
short films before directing four features. In 2012, Karthik’s first feature Pizza was the biggest hit
of the year. He followed this up in 2014 with Jigarthanda, a musical gangster movie that won two
National Awards. In 2016, Iraivi dealt with issues faced by women in a male-dominated society. The
movie received enormous critical appreciation and was a box office success. He is currently giving
finishing touches to his fourth film, Mercury, a silent thriller.
84 INTERNATIONAL CINEMA IFFI 2017