
Partho Sen-Gupta
Directing
Biography
Partho Sen-Gupta is a Sydney-based film writer and director. He was born in Mumbai in 1965. They worked as Art Director and Production Designer on feature films, TV series and commercials in India. He studied Film direction at La FEMIS (École Nationale Supérieure des Métiers de l'Image et du Son) in Paris. His first feature film, 'Let the Wind Blow' (Hava Aney Dey) premiered at the Berlin Int. Film Festival. His second feature film 'Sunrise' premiered at the Busan IFF and has since been screened at 2015 Tribeca, Munich, BFI London, Sitges, Sydney etc. It won the Best Film and the Best Cinematography Awards at the 2015 Durban Film Festival, Black Tulip for Best Film at the Imagine Film Festival and an Honorable Jury Mention at the Munich Film Festival. It was nominated at the 2015 Asia-Pacific Screen Academy Awards. After its theatrical release in France, Germany, US, China it was acquired by Netflix. After living in France for over a decade, he now lives and works in Sydney. His third feature film 'Slam' set in Sydney, Australia premiered at the 2018 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. It was then screened at various film festivals around the world. It had a theatrical release in Australia in 2019. The French theatrical release has been cancelled twice due to Covid19 is was reprogrammed for Dec 2021. Sen-Gupta also worked as Senior Lecturer in Directing at the Australian Film, Television, Radio School (AFTRS) during 2021-2023.
Known For

The enigmatic but vivid imagery of this loosely plotted film is based on a similarly evocative novel by the Italian author Antonio Tabucchi, Noturno Indiano. An old friend of the hero's has been living in Bombay with a prostitute. His friend Peter Schlemihl (Otto Tausig) is a concentration camp survivor, who went to India after being captivated by a photograph he saw there. When the prostitute writes to him in Europe asking that he rescue his friend from a mysterious malaise, he flies into India to try and help. When he gets to Bombay, he discovers that his friend has disappeared. Following the clues left behind by the friend, and based on his acquaintance with him, he journeys to Madras to speak to a Theosophist dignitary there, and then journeys on to Portugues Goa. With each step of his journey, the hero (Jean-Hugues Anglade) becomes more identified with his friend, and re-enacts in his own person the transformations he must have experienced.
Nocturne Indien

After witnessing the public humiliation & abuse of a female friend, a young man vows to avenge her by going after the hoodlums responsible. he is guided by a burnt out, cynical cop, who shows him the ropes as well as the realities of vigilante life.
Raakh

Ricky is a young Arab Australian whose peaceful suburban life is turned on its head when his sister, Ameena, disappears without trace. In a climate of distrust and xenophobia, she is soon suspected of having joined the ranks of ISIS in Syria. In a ‘post-facts’ world, Ricky no longer knows who to believe, his sense of what’s right or the 24 hour media cycle of spin.
Slam

Inspector Joshi is a grieving father searching for his daughter Aruna, kidnapped years ago when she was six. In his despair, life converges with a recurring dream in which Joshi pursues a shadowy figure who leads him to 'Paradise', a night-club where teenage girls dance to a leering crowd. He is convinced he will find Aruna there and vows to bring her back to Leela, his broken wife.
Sunrise

"Shakti Timeless" tells the story of the Indo-Western music group Shakti. Formed in 1975, the group pioneered a groundbreaking and highly influential musical East-meets-West approach. In the 1970s, the group, whose name means creative intelligence, beauty and power, consisted of legendary British jazz guitarist John McLauglin, North Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, violinist L. Shankar and percussionist T.H. Vinayakram, the latter two hailing from South India. Together, they created a fluid and organic sound that managed to successfully combine seemingly incompatible traditions. After a number of very successful live concerts and albums they disbanded. The group was reformed in 1997 under the name Remember Shakti with new talents from India, such as V. Selvaganesh, who replaced his father Vinayakram on percussion, and the young prodigy U. Shrinivas, who replaced L. Shankar. In 2000, the young Indian classical singer Shankar Mahadevan joined as the first vocal element in the group.
Way of Beauty - Shakti Timeless

Beena, a villager married to a man in the city, is shocked to find that her husband has left the house. She begins to provide for the family, but faces issues when she falls in love with a co-worker.
Main Zinda Hoon

Philippe is broke and owes money to two toughs, and all the neighbour's little boy wants is to be his friend.
Le Cochon

Aslam, a Kashmiri migrant, finds himself in the countryside of the South of France. He has been ditched there by illegal migration crossers. He is saved by an old lady who hides him in her house. though they do not speak the same language, a friendship develops between the two. But the French police are searching for Aslam.
Trajet Discontinu

The Way of Beauty is a DVD which features a 60 minute documentary which tells the story of the Indo-western music group SHAKTI. Formed in 1975, the group pioneered a groundbreaking and highly influential musical East-meets-West approach. The other features are a 45 minutes film called "Sound Check" and "Saturday Night in Bombay" 55 minutes. The films are directed by Partho Sen Gupta between 2000 and 2006
Remember Shakti - The Way Of Beauty

At the height of nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan, Arjun and his best friend, Chabia, weigh their options for the future against the reality of life on the streets of Mumbai.