Female filmmakers of Indian origin are making history by standing out as award winning directors including Mira Nair (2016’s Queen of Katwe) and Deepa Mehta (2012’s Midnight’s Children)
In 2015, Ruchika Oberoi won the FEDORA prize for best new director at the Venice Film Festival with her first feature, Island City. Konkona Sen Sharma’s directorial debut, A Death in the Gunj, won her a best female filmmaker award at the 2016 Mumbai festival.
At Cannes this year, the only Indian entry was from a female director, Payal Kapadia, a student at the Film and Television Institute of India. Her 13-minute short, Afternoon Clouds, is the first Indian film to be selected for the Cinefondation section, which chooses entries from film schools worldwide, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Historically, female representation behind the camera remains low, but this is now beginning to change in India with Amazon Prime Video and Netflix signing deals to acquire titles and produce originals across genres in indie and mainstream categories. Amazon has signed contracts for no less than 30 Indian originals. “Digital platforms have given a new lease on life to indie cinema,” says Shefali Bhushan, who made her feature debut with 2016’s Jugni.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
