Director/Producer

Rintu Thomas

Rintu Thomas is an Academy Award nominated, Peabody Award-winning Indian filmmaker, whose body of work sits at the intersection of storytelling as both an art and a conversation. Her double Sundance winning, IDA, PGA, Grierson-nominated feature documentary 'Writing With Fire' (2021), described by the Washington Post as 'The most inspiring journalism movie - maybe ever', was India's first feature documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award. Rintu is a recipient of India’s National Award, along with being an IDA ‘Courage Under Fire’ Honoree, IDA Logan Elevate Awardee, Sundance Fellow, Skoll Stories of Change Fellow and South Asia Fellow with the Japan Foundation. In 2009, Rintu co-founded, along with Academy award-nominated director and cinematographer Sushmit Ghosh, the New Delhi based production company Black Ticket Films. With the company, she has directed and produced over 150 short documentaries that have been exhibited at film festivals globally, included in the curriculum of universities and used as tools for advocacy by diverse communities. From this emotionally resonating and critically acclaimed slate of films, the most widely travelled are ‘Dilli’ (2010) and ‘Timbaktu’ (2012). Rintu lives between New Delhi and a quaint mountain-town in North India.

Director/Producer

Sushmit Ghosh

Sushmit Ghosh is an Academy Award nominated filmmaker and co-founder of Black Ticket Films, a production company invested in the power of storytelling. An IDA Courage Under Fire Honoree, Sushmit's films are recognised for their rigor of immersive, emotionally powerful storytelling. His feature documentary, WRITING WITH FIRE (2021) is India's first feature documentary to be nominated for an Oscar. WRITING WITH FIRE has played at over 150 festivals, won 35 awards and earned Grierson, IDA, PGA, Cinema Eye Honors nominations. Sushmit's work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Tribeca, Chicken & Egg Pictures and Doc Society. Sushmit is also a mentor for labs and fellowships that focus on storytellers from underrepresented communities who are providing new cinematic narratives in their own artistic voices. Sushmit’s award winning shorts include Bullets and Butterflies (2007), Dilli (2010) and Timbaktu (2012). In his spare time, you’ll find him motorcycling and hiking through the Himalayas.