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Koval Bhatia


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Headshot of Koval Bhatia wearing a large scarf and purple jacket

Koval Bhatia is a writer, director and producer based in India. Her feature documentary as producer titled Against The Tide won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2023, the Grand Jury Prize at Seattle IFFand the Best Feature at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. She was also nominated for the Gotham and IDA Awards. Her short documentary as writer and director, titled She Run The World, was commissioned by Hot Docs Canada and premiered at DCEFF.

She has directed and produced media for many non profits and broadcasters, primarily projects created by and about women. Koval has received support from IDFA, Sundance Institute, San Francisco Film Fund, IDFA, Catapult Fund, Hot Docs, Doc Society and Eurodoc for her work as a producer. She was awarded the Getting Real Fellowship by IDA in 2022, and served as Chair Of Jury for the IDA Awards in 2023. She is the co-founder of Open Door Docs, a platform for Indian women practicing non-fiction. She has worked as a mentor and reviewer for In-Docs, Doc Society, Catapult, BFI and IDA. 

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In recent years, “creative documentaries,” especially those from India, have soared to new heights globally, carving out a unique space in world cinema. What exactly are "creative documentaries," and how do they intersect with Indian and Western audiences? India has experienced a rise in successful documentaries, yet many of these projects are primarily made possible through support from Western funding bodies and institutions. This dynamic prompts reflection on the tenets by which decisions to fund these films are made.

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