Bitchitra Collective has unveiled the newest cohort of seven filmmakers selected for this year’s Documentary Film & Media Fellowship, alongside the recipient of the Sriyanka Ray Grant, an award created in partnership with Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM).
Founded in India and the U.S. to raise money for female and nonbinary audiovisual artists during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bitchitra Collective has continued to connect filmmakers across India and the United States and amplify their voices. The collective also fosters professional growth through monetary assistance, networking opportunities, and career sustainability initiatives.
Both the fellowship and grant programs are designed to strengthen the presence of Indian female and nonbinary voices in nonfiction storytelling. Documentary Fellows receive a US$2,000 grant and six months of mentorship from seasoned documentarians. The Sriyanka Ray Grant provides US$4,000 in support for a project rooted in community-centered storytelling and social justice. The selected films represent a wide spectrum of subjects from intimate family portraits to sweeping stories of ecological change and labor struggles.
“Choosing finalists from such a powerhouse pool—emerging and established voices alike—was no easy task,” the jury—Mamta Trivedi, Meena Longjam, and Sundeep Morrison—share in a statement. “From vérité grit to cinematic poetry, the range of approaches reflected the vast and vibrant landscape of South Asian creativity today. We were especially inspired by how many of you are pushing the boundaries of documentary form while holding firm to ethical rigor and cultural specificity.”
The cohort, their projects, and mentors are listed below:
Sriyanka Ray Grant Awardee
Paushali Saha:
Paushali Saha is a wildlife cinematographer and director based in Dooars. She has experience across scripted films, commercials, and conservation documentaries.
Vanishing River
In the face of rising waters and uncertain futures, Shanti, a once joyful rafter, now navigates the turbulent currents of climate change, transitioning from river expert to resilient rescuer on the banks of the Teesta.
Bitchitra Collective Documentary Film and Media Fellows
Alvina Joshi:
Alvina Joshi is an editor and director based in Mumbai. She is currently a Sundance Ignite fellow and has worked on films that have premiered at festivals including MIFF.
Tokora Sorai'r Baah (A Weaver Bird's Nest)
As their home faces demolition, Mahendra fights to preserve his art and grandchildren’s love, his son Jugnu seeks freedom from his father’s shadow, and Jugnu's wife dares to dream of a new life—each torn between the ties that bind and the futures they crave.
Mentor: Deepa Bhatia
Gunjan Menon:
Gunjan Menon is a producer-director and National Geographic Explorer. She is also the co-founder of Beyond Premieres, a studio that explores the interconnectedness of humans and nature. Apart from her contract work as a Field Producer-Director, her independent films have garnered over 50 awards and nominations across 20 countries.
Dreaming in Blue
Shabeena and Mariyam set out to unearth hidden mysteries under the unexplored ocean of India's remote Lakshadweep islands while juggling motherhood and their pioneering roles as the first female marine biologists on their island. Their quest to discover new species turns into a fight to protect their island home when they are forced to confront a triple jeopardy—societal barriers, a climate crisis, and a new proposed development that could change their lives forever.
Mentor: Khushboo Ranka
Indira Somani:
Indira S. Somani is an independent documentary filmmaker. Her films have won awards at festivals, including the Cannes Short Independent Film Festival, and aired on PBS. Somani is also a TV news producer and broadcast journalism professor.
I Love You More Than My Life
Indira returns to Springfield, Illinois, to care for her aging South Asian mother, struggling with depression. As she reflects on her mother’s vibrant past, an award-winning social worker who immigrated from India, Indira struggles to balance being a caregiver and daughter, while protecting her own mental health, as she uncovers the family’s hidden violence.
Mentor: Geeta Gandbhir
Richa Bhavanam and Anushka Meenakshi:
Richa C Bhavanam began by working in photography, and has worked on documentary series for both BBC2 and Netflix. She is primarily interested in documenting women-centric narratives. Her photography series, Mahila Yakshagana: Where Women Become Heroes, exhibited widely—most recently in Japan.
Anushka Meenakshi works in theater, sound, and film. Her first feature film premiered at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and has since travelled to over 70 international film festivals, as well as a theatrical run in Japan.
Women of Fire
An intimate, sensorial journey with pioneering women firefighters in Mumbai as they face fire, floods and their fears.
Mentor: Paromita Vohra
Sara Chishti:
Sara Chishti is a New York-based Indian-Muslim filmmaker and producer dedicated to telling underrepresented stories. She has worked on the HBO series Eyes on the Prize, a continuation of the landmark documentary, executive produced by Dawn Porter and directed by Geeta Gandbhir. She is currently producing a project set to premiere at SXSW in March 2025.
Taxi Driver
Amid crippling debt and relentless exploitation, New York City’s immigrant taxi drivers fight to reclaim their humanity and the American Dream, navigating a city-sanctioned medallion lending scheme that has left their community in financial ruin.
Mentor: Nisha Pahuja
Surya Balakrishnan:
Surya Balakrishnan is a director working in television, commercials, and film. She recently directed two episodes of an Amazon Original slated to be released in early 2025. She also has an advertising production house called Footloose Films.
Amarkatha/Undying Tales from Kashmir
Amarkatha is an ironic exploration of a sacred Hindu pilgrimage that takes place in Kashmir, where millions of devotees trek through the fragile mountains to pray to an ice stalagmite believed to be a reincarnation of Lord Shiva. Through the lens of folklore, faith, and ecological decline, the story uncovers the complex, tragic intersection of religion, politics, and the changing world around them.
Mentor: Nishtha Jain
