Ashim Ahluwalia
Encyclopedia
Ashim Ahluwalia is a film director
, screenwriter
, and film producer
. His first feature was John & Jane, which had a world premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival followed by a European premiere at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. The film won an Indian National Film Award in 2007.
Working outside the traditional confines of the Bollywood
film system, Ashim Ahluwalia is one of a handful of new Indian directors uncomfortable working with Hindi film stars
His films display a preference for experimental structures (John & Jane is a catalogue of six seemingly unrelated characters), often blurring the lines between documentary and fiction. His short films have shown at the Tate Modern
, the Centre Pompidou and at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
, India
. He attended Bard College
in New York and graduated in filmmaking in 1995.
shot by his grandfather in the 1950s.
He formed an independent production company, Future East, in 2005, allowing him and other directors to work outside mainstream film channels.
In August 2010, Ahluwalia was named "one of the ten best emerging film directors working today" by the publisher Phaidon Press
in "Take 100: The Future of Film."
Ashim Ahluwalia is currently at work on a Hindi feature film called Miss Lovely, set in the lower depths of Bombay's "c" grade film industry. Miss Lovely follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sleazy horror films in the mid-1980s.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. His first feature was John & Jane, which had a world premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival followed by a European premiere at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. The film won an Indian National Film Award in 2007.
Working outside the traditional confines of the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film system, Ashim Ahluwalia is one of a handful of new Indian directors uncomfortable working with Hindi film stars
His films display a preference for experimental structures (John & Jane is a catalogue of six seemingly unrelated characters), often blurring the lines between documentary and fiction. His short films have shown at the Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
, the Centre Pompidou and at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Early life
Ashim Ahluwalia grew up in BombayMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He attended Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
in New York and graduated in filmmaking in 1995.
Career
Ahluwalia made his first short film, The Dust, in 1993, by reworking home moviesHome movies
A home movie is part of the motion picture filmmaking process made by amateurs, often for viewing by family and friends. When the hobby began, home movies were produced on photographic film, but accessibility of video production with video cameras and low cost data storage devices has made the...
shot by his grandfather in the 1950s.
He formed an independent production company, Future East, in 2005, allowing him and other directors to work outside mainstream film channels.
In August 2010, Ahluwalia was named "one of the ten best emerging film directors working today" by the publisher Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press is a British publisher of books on the visual arts, including art, architecture, photography, and design worldwide.As of 2009, Phaidon's headquarters are in London, UK, though they were in Oxford for many years, with offices in New York City, Paris, Berlin, Milan, and Tokyo...
in "Take 100: The Future of Film."
Ashim Ahluwalia is currently at work on a Hindi feature film called Miss Lovely, set in the lower depths of Bombay's "c" grade film industry. Miss Lovely follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sleazy horror films in the mid-1980s.
Short films and installations
- The Dust (1993)
- A Short Season (1995)
- Thin Air (1999)
- Development Plan (2007) with artist Neha Choksi and Architect Kapil Gupta (Installation for 10th Venice Architecture Biennale)
External links
- John & Jane: HBO Website http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/johnandjanetollfree/index.html
- John & Jane: Official Website http://www.john-and-jane.com