Priyanka Das, 29, started her first artistic journey at the very early age of her life. At the age 9 she was involved in painting, photography and creative writing. Her early embark on this artistic path was only made possible because of her mother’s keen interest in art, and dedication of making sure the availability of the different resources to foster the artistic practices.

Growing up in a middle class family in Kolkata, India, she studied science and management like many others to stable her career as art hardly seemed like a sustainable career option. However, her passion for art and artistic expression had always been a guiding light in her life. While she was freelancing writing and photography along with her day job she started exploring world cinemas during her early 20s. Exploring world cinemas impacted her immensely and opened a new horizon to explore different cultures through cinematic lens. She remembered the impact she had watching Ingmar Bergman’s films which explores the deep morasses of human heart.

The beauty of the nomadic tribes people and landscapes along the Indo-China border, just north of Ladakh, emboldened her to continue engaging with the visual medium. She made her first ever short on that subject of relation between the nomadic people and vast space in northern Ladakh. With a strong support from her family, she moved to USA to study film at Ohio University. Ohio University provided a supportive and fertile platform to her to grow further as an artist and filmmaker. She completed her both master in fine arts and master in arts in film at Ohio University over 4 years. While she was studying film there she made total 5 short films and her first feature debut- Under the Jazz. Circulation. Formation,  which is going to premiere by the end of 2018. Her films are shown over 30 international film festivals across the world including Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, Kolkata film festivals and won awards.

Currently, she is living in the New York City and working on her multiple video art projects, drawings, and writing her next feature film, which she plans to shoot in India. She takes her creative works as a modality to break away from the stereotypes and heteronormative structures in our society. She envisions to focus on “feminine voices” through her works. Being a non-male and immigrant have shaped her body of work. In one hand it is a challenge and a struggle to voice her thoughts and feelings in a highly white male dominated art world; on the other hand these challenges structure her identity through her works and inspire her to make an art of her own. She likes to continue making small alternatives films and video projects to shred lights onto the sensitivity of human complexities and the sensitivity cinematic medium can offer to the audience. She believes that any kinds of art forms can create a space for the audience to reflect on their own life, rather than just completely absorbed by the narrative of the films. Specifically, in current situation where the world is obsessed with the identity politics and “about-ness”, her artworks may encourage people to listen to their own bodies and minds in a more personal way to make sense of their own surroundings and their own beings.

Priyanka Das has had screenings of her films at almost every film festival across the world. Here is a list of the screenings.

2017      

32nd Clermont Ferrand Short Film Market – France

44th Athens International Video + Film Festival- USA

Beijing Film Festival- China

Geo Film festival and Expocinema- Italy

Shanghai Queer International Film festival- China

2016 

Oberhausen Open Screening- Germany

 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival- India

5th Delhi International Film Festival- India

2nd Asia International Youth Short Film Exhibition (Wenzhou)- China

Newark Famfest- USA

2015                  

Cannes Art Film Festival- France

Philadelphia International Film Festival- USA

Kolkata International Film Festival- India

Athens International Video + Film Festival- USA

Cambridge Short Film Festival- UK

Columbus Art Film Festival- USA

Euro Film Festival- France

Columbus Film Council- USA

Phoenix Film Festival Melbourne- Australia

Siliguri international Film Festival- India

Student Art Film Festival – USA

Wiper Film Festival- USA

Emerge Film Festival- USA

Southway Film Festival- Ukraine

Visionaria International Film Festival- Italy