Core Team
Prakash Belawadi-Mentor
Prakash Belawadi is an Indian theater, film, television and media personality, an activist and a journalist from Bangalore. He co-founded the Centre for Film and Drama in 2004. He is a proud recipient of the Karnataka Nataka Academy Award (2012) for his contribution to English and Kannada language theatre. He has also received the National Film Award (2002) for his directorial film Stumble; and the prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play (2019) for Counting and Cracking. As an actor, he has worked in 75 odd films in 5 languages and directed about 50 plays in English and Kannada languages.
Founder and Artistic Director of Bangalore International Short Film Festival (started in 2010). Previously, Deputy Artistic Director of the Bangalore International Film Festival. Actor, producer, and ex-President of Suchitra Film Society – 40-year-old organization.
Anand is a Trustee at Centre for Film and Drama which is underway to start a Cinema School in 2019 and also a trustee at Suchitra Cinema & Cultural Academy. Additionally, Anand collaborates and mentors with many independent filmmakers and producers for their new ventures. His latest venture as a producer with ARISHADVARGA, an independent Kannada film premiered in London Film Festival in June 2019.
His experience with cinema is global with several International cultural Forums in his repertoire, including curating of Film Festivals and also as Jury for organizations across the globe. He is a regular visitor to Cannes, Berlinale and Goteborg Film Festival. His affiliations overseas include but is not limited to Oberhausen – Germany, Sapporo Short Film Festival – Japan and Haifa International Film Festival – Israel.
Earlier, he worked with GE in Business Market Intelligence and with Palador, a film distribution company, as a Strategic Marketing Consultant and used to head their South India operations. Furthermore, he is the Founder/Director of CineAH, a Cinema services company and Director on Palak Paneer film productions, which works on producing Indo-European Films and the Indian Director on the board of CineSend – Digital movie sending platform.
Nikhil Bharadwaj – DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Nikhil Bharadwaj has been a vital part of the Bangalore theatres for 15 years now. He has assumed a variety of roles like stage manager, program coordinator, sound design, publicity, inclusive of acting, for more than a hundred national and international Film/theatre productions. He has been actively involved in film festivals like Bengaluru International Film Festival and Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, mostly working as the program manager. Nikhil has also been on the board of Suchitra Film Society for about five years now.
Nisarga J ,Festival Coordinator at the Bangalore International Short Film Festival (BISFF)has been in the team for over seven years, driven by her deep love for art and cinema. She coordinates the festival with precision, seamlessly bringing together filmmakers, artists, and audiences. Alongside this, Nisarga works as a social media and marketing manager, where her creativity and strategic thinking help brands connect with their audiences.
Rahul S Desai – Head Programming