Rintu Thomas

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Rintu Thomas
Born
Kottayam, India
NationalityIndian
Alma materA.J.K. Mass Communication Research Centre, Lady Shri Ram College
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2009 - present

Rintu Thomas is an Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker and director-producer from India.[1][2]

Her Peabody-winning documentary Writing with Fire, co-directed with Sushmit Ghosh, is the first Indian feature documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[3][4] The film also won the Audience Award and Special Jury Award in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at 2021 Sundance Film Festival.[5] Thomas is also known for directing Timbaktu[6][7], a short documentary which won the National Film Award[8] for the Best Environment Film at the 60th National Film Awards[9] and Dilli, which was awarded Best Documentary at the Jaipur International Film Festival in 2012.[10] She is the co-founder of the award-winning production company, Black Ticket Films[11]. In 2021, she was awarded the IDA Courage Under Fire Award[12] for her body of work.[13]

Education[edit]

Thomas received her MA in Mass Communication from A.J.K. Mass Communication Research Centre Jamia University, New Delhi. Her Master's thesis film Flying Inside My Body[14] [15]won numerous student documentary awards. She received her BA in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College at Delhi University in 2006. Her professional work has won support from various organizations, including Japan Foundation's HANDs Fellowship (2016), Sundance Institute's Fellowship (2018),  Skoll Stories of Change Fellow (2019)[16][17], IDA Logan Elevate Honoree (2021)[18].

Career[edit]

Thomas, along with long-standing partner, Sushmit Ghosh has directed and produced over 150 short documentaries under their Black Ticket Films banner[19]. Her short documentary Dilli premiered at the NASDAQ in Times Square, New York City in 2011[20] and won 22 international awards including 10 Best Short Documentary Awards. Films directed by Thomas has been screened at several top-tier international film festivals and global platforms including the United Nations Climate Change Conference and Lincoln Center for Performing Arts. Her work has been profiled by The New York Times, Washington Post[21], Time Magazine[22], The Atlantic[23], The Guardian[24], The Financial Times[25], Le Monde, The Hollywood Reporter[26][27][28], Variety[29][30], Deadline[31][32][33], No Film School[34], The Asahi Shimbun among others.

Thomas serves as a mentor for several international film labs and has served as a jury member for Irish Film & Television Academy Awards, International Documentary Association Awards, Points North Fellowship[35] International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam Academy, IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund, Alternativa Film Awards[36][37], UNESCO film programme for young adults.

Thomas' first feature length documentary Writing With Fire, premiered on 29 January 2021 in the Sundance Film Festival's World Cinema Documentary Competition.[38] One of the first reviews was The Washington Post describing it as "The most inspiring journalism movie – maybe ever".[39] Indiewire's Kate Erbland in her review of the documentary wrote, "Armed with eagle-eyed filmmakers and compelling subjects, the film deftly blends the (inextricably linked) personal and professional sides of the journalists' work, offering up a wide-ranging look at a vital outlet with so many stories to tell…the result is profound".[40]

It was the first Indian film to win a Peabody Award and the jury described the winner as one of "the most compelling and empowering stories released in 2022 across broadcasting and streaming media".[41] The New York Times chose it as a Critics' Pick[42] and the film obtained nominations for Best Documentary from the Grierson Awards[43], International Documentary Association Awards[44] and Producers Guild of America Awards[45]. Along with winning 40 awards, it is India's first documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award[46]. In India, the documentary film premiered at the Dharamshala International Film Festival[47][48] on 5 November, 2022.

Following the New York premiere of the documentary at Doc NYC [49]in November 2021, the documentary had a theatrical release in the United States[50][51], with the opening weekend at the Film Forum in New York. In August 2023, it had a theatrical release in Japan[52], across 50 Japanese theatres in 22 prefectures.

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Worked As
2010 In Search of My Home Director, Producer
2011 Dilli Director, Producer
2012 Timbaktu Director
2021 Writing With Fire Director, Producer, Editor

References[edit]

  1. ^ "#IDADocAwards: Courage Under Fire Award - Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh". International Documentary Association. 5 November 2021. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Oscars 2022: Writing With Fire Directors Screamed, Jumped, Hugged When Nomination Was Announced". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Bolly Buzz: 'Writing With Fire' makes it to The Academy Awards nomination, Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar's wedding festivities to take place in multiple destinations - Times of India". The Times of India. 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Oscars 2022: India's 'Writing With Fire' Nominated In Best Documentary Feature Category". India Today. 10 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  5. ^ Hailu, Selome (19 November 2021). "CAA Signs 'Writing With Fire' Directors Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Let's do Timbaktu". The Hindu. 3 April 2013. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Timbaktu – PSBT". Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  8. ^ "60th National Film Awards Announced". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Timbaktu – PSBT".
  10. ^ "Movie Screening: Timbaktu + Dilli in Delhi NCR, AntiSocial | What's Hot".
  11. ^ "criticalcollective.in". criticalcollective.in. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  12. ^ "37th Annual IDA Documentary Awards Announces 2021 Honorees | International Documentary Association". www.documentary.org. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Courage Under Fire Award - Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh | International Documentary Association". www.documentary.org. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  14. ^ "AWARDS AND JURY". KASHISH Pride Film Festival. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  15. ^ "我心飞翔 FLYING INSIDE MY BODY – Beijing Queer Film Festival". Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Skoll | Equity and Storytelling: What We're Looking Forward to at Sundance This Year". Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  17. ^ "From Art to Impact: How Stories Can Create Meaningful Change - sundance.org". 28 June 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Courage Under Fire Award: 'Writing With Fire' Team on Finding Hope in the Unlikeliest Place | International Documentary Association". www.documentary.org. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Rintu Thomas | IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Robin Raina Foundation Founder Robin Raina to Ring the NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell to Mark the Film Premiere of "Dilli"". NBC News. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  21. ^ Rezaian, Jason (4 February 2021). "Opinion | The most inspiring journalism movie — maybe ever". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Time (magazine)", Wikipedia, 25 May 2024, retrieved 31 May 2024
  23. ^ Dutt, Yashica (14 February 2022). "The Oscar-Nominated Film That Offers a Master Class in Journalism". The Atlantic. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  24. ^ Clarke, Cath (29 July 2021). "'Stop patronising me and give me an interview': the female journalists speaking up for India's poor". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  25. ^ "How a film about fearless Indian female reporters made it to the Oscars". www.ft.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  26. ^ Kang, Inkoo (1 February 2021). "'Writing With Fire': Film Review | Sundance 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  27. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (17 March 2022). "'Writing With Fire' Directors on Their Oscar-Nominated Doc's Inspiring Subjects: "There's a World of Possibilities That They're Creating"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  28. ^ McVey, Ciara (12 March 2022). "The Hollywood Reporter's 'A Seat at the Table': Documentary Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  29. ^ Hailu, Selome (19 November 2021). "CAA Signs 'Writing With Fire' Directors Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  30. ^ Kiang, Jessica (5 February 2021). "'Writing With Fire' Review: Rousing, Inspirational Tribute to the Pride of Grassroots Indian Journalism". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  31. ^ Sadarangani, Sunil (11 January 2023). "As Oscar Nomination Voting Nears, Documentary Films from India Gain Prominence On The Global Stage". Deadline. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  32. ^ Carey, Matthew (21 March 2022). "'Writing With Fire' Writes Oscar Ticket With Story Of Courageous Indian Women Journalists: "You're Now A Part Of History"". Deadline. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  33. ^ Carey, Matthew (31 January 2022). "Oscar-Shortlisted 'Writing With Fire' Documents Indian Women Journalists Who Beat The Odds To Create Reporting Powerhouse". Deadline. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  34. ^ "How Two Indian Directors Defied the Odds and Exposed the Caste System | No Film School". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  35. ^ Thomas, Elena. "Points North Fellowship". Points North Institute. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  36. ^ Vourlias, Christopher (4 December 2023). "Alternativa Film Project Marks Close of First Edition With Award Ceremony Feting Social-Impact Films From Central Asia". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Alternativa Film Project – Celebrating Artistic Merits and Social Impact". alternativa.film. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  38. ^ "2021 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced - sundance.org". 2 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  39. ^ Rezaian, Jason (1 February 2021). ""Opinion: The most inspiring journalism movie — maybe ever"". The Washington Post.
  40. ^ Erbland, Kate (3 February 2021). "'Writing with Fire' Review: Sundance World Cinema Doc Winner Is a Fearless Fight for Real News". IndieWire. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  41. ^ Plowman, Katherine (13 July 2023). "83rd Annual Peabody Awards Announced". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  42. ^ Girish, Devika (25 November 2021). "'Writing With Fire' Review: Speaking Truth to Power". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  43. ^ "Grierson Trust reveals final nominations for 50th British Documentary Awards". Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  44. ^ "Nominees Revealed for the 37th Annual IDA Documentary Awards | International Documentary Association". www.documentary.org. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  45. ^ "PGA Award Nominees for Documentary Motion Pictures". Producers Guild. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  46. ^ "India's 'Writing With Fire' makes it to Oscars, nominated for Best Documentary Feature". The Economic Times. 8 February 2022. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  47. ^ Staff, Scroll (29 October 2022). "Dharamshala film festival returns for a physical edition and cine-love in the hills". Scroll.in. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  48. ^ Festival, Asian Film (1 November 2022). "10 Films you shouldn't miss at the Dharamshala International Film Festival". Asian Film Festivals. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  49. ^ "WRITING WITH FIRE". DOC NYC. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  50. ^ "Film Forum · In-Person Q&As with WRITING WITH FIRE Filmmakers Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh, Co-presented by Brown Girl Doc Mafia". Film Forum. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  51. ^ "Film Forum · WRITING WITH FIRE". Film Forum. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  52. ^ "映画『燃えあがる女性記者たち』公式WEBサイト". writingwithfire.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 May 2024.

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