Sunanda Bhat
Directing
Biography
Sunanda is the founder of Songline Films. She takes a patient, unhurried approach to making films, allowing stories to unfold in layers that reveal the resilience of people and the subtle transformation of their environment. Her first documentary BOL AYESHA BOL (SPEAK AYESHA SPEAK) premiered at the International Film Festival, Amsterdam. Her films have screened at several international and Indian film festivals and won awards, prominent ones being - 'Monde en Regards' at the Jean Rouch International Film Festival, Paris; Planet in Focus Film Festival, Toronto, Golden Conch for Best Documentary at the Mumbai International Film Festival, John Abraham National Award for Best Documentary. Her film ‘NINGAL ARANAYE KANDO?' | 'HAVE YOU SEEN THE ARANA?’ featured at Musée de l'homme, Paris and at the 'India Film Week' at Metropolis Kino, an art-house cinema theatre, in Hamburg, Germany. She was an artist-in-residence at the Pepper House Residency hosted by Kochi-Muziris Biennale and is an active member of Vikalp Bengaluru, a collective of filmmakers that screens the best in non-fiction cinema in the city. She is currently working on a documentary film in coastal Karnataka.
Known For
A behind-the-scenes look at how a people’s movement against divisive politics takes on an authoritarian party in power in the Indian Election-2024. Wake-up Karnataka unites with citizens’ groups across India, dramatically shifting conversation from ‘mandir’ (temple) to ‘mudda’ (people’s problems), making this a closely fought election.
Sangama
In a world that has grown more dynamic and uncertain, where diversity and differences make way for standardization and uniformity, this film explores the effects of a rapidly changing landscape on lives and livelihoods. As hills flatten, forests disappear and traditional knowledge systems are forgotten, the film reminds us that this diversity could disappear forever, to be replaced by monotonous and unsustainable alternatives.