IFFOR Jury | Programming
Nilotpal Majumdar
A Postgraduate from Film & Television Institute of India, Pune with a specialisation in Editing, Nilotpal Majumdar created documentary and fiction as director, cinematographer and editor. He guides, leads and envisions future programmes of Documentary Resource Initiative, that directly benefit actuality storytellers within India and across the borders. He has also served as the Dean of Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata and presently is the Director of Manipur State Film and Television Institute.
Nidhi Saxena
Her work explores human vulnerability and existential themes through a poetic lens. She is the first Indian woman director to receive the Asian Cinema Fund (Post-Production) and a first Indian woman Biennale College Cinema recipient. Her film Secret of a Mountain Serpent, was selected for the Venice Biennale College Cinema – Script Lab and was awarded production support. The film had its World premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August 2025.
Hemant Gaba
Hemant Gaba is a National Award-winning filmmaker. His directing credits include a Z5 Original Fireflies Parth Aur Jugnu and an award winning feature documentary An Engineered Dream.
Tanushree Roy Paul
Tanushree Roy Paul is a Visual Story Designer, Creative Media Educator, and cross-media Narrative Consultant proficient at crafting visual narratives through Animated longform and shortform films, Graphic Novel, Webcomics, Illustration and other cross-media content Design. Her background in Fine Arts and Animation Film Design, shaped by years of cross-disciplinary practice, enables her to craft projects that unite visual innovation with emotionally layered storytelling.
Her portfolio spans international and national collaborations, including work with Nature Conservation Foundation (India), United Nations Foundation – Our Future Agenda (USA), Eklavya Publications (India), Pratilipi Comics & Films (India), WWF India, Digital Assets Group(UAE) and Pocket FM (UK) Tanushree’s creative lens is shaped by multicultural arts and focuses strongly on climate justice, ecological regeneration, and mental well-being, making her narratives both socially rooted and globally relevant.
An alumna of IDC, IIT Bombay, she currently serves as Co-founder and Director (Creative & Operations) at The Kairos Pictures, where she leads innovative, purpose-led animated and graphic storytelling projects.
Debendu Sarkar
Debendu Sarkar is a multidisciplinary animation director, educator, and entrepreneur celebrated for weaving narrative imagination with technical rigor. His two-decade journey spans industry leadership and academic transformation, guiding animators, directing productions, and architecting programs that merge visual design and storytelling.
A former Head of Animation at Poornima University and Assistant Professor at Gujarat University, he Co-founded The Kairos Pictures in 2020, shaping purposeful digital content and nurturing new creative voices.
His signature projects include Animated shorts for COP 29 (United Nations Climate Change Conference), The Nature Conservancy (USA), Countdown 2030 Europe, United Nations Foundations- Our future Agenda(USA), Pratilipi comics & films (India), World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF India), Pocket FM (UK)
Arpit Gangwal
Arpit Gangwal is a filmmaker from Jaipur, Rajasthan who started his creative journey right after high school. Initially, he began his journey with acting in theater and soon realized the power of storytelling while being behind the stage. During his time in Mumbai, he learned the basics of filmmaking through workshops and internships with production houses.