Anjali Menon

Anjali is a leading Indian film director and screenwriter. She completed her post-graduate degree from London Film School with honors in editing, producing, and directing film; her graduation film Black Nor White premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and received the BFI award for Best Short Film. Anjali made her writing and directorial debut with the feature Manjadikuru (Lucky Red Seeds), a coming of age drama set in 1979, for which she received the FIPRESCI award for Best Malayalam Film and Best Indian Debut. Anjali has also written the critically and commercially acclaimed Ustad Hotel, for which she received the National Film Award for Best Screenplay - Dialogues. Her next feature film, Bangalore Days, revolving around the life of three Malayali cousins, emerged as a cult classic. Anjali's feature film Koode, showcasing issues of caste, migration, and child sexual harassment while dealing with themes of loss and solace, released to wide critical and commercial success in India and internationally. Having worked on projects in India, the Middle East, and the UK, Anjali's films provide a nuanced insight into the migrant experience and cross cultural interactions and she has received multiple National and State awards for her work in cinema. Her recent film Wonder Women delicately makes us aware of the beliefs, confusion, and questions regarding pregnancy and childbirth. Anjali is also one of the founding members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organization that focuses on gender equality in the Malayalam film industry. She started a production company, Little Films India, in 2006 where she leads content and production affairs. Anjali is currently developing her next feature film and an anthology for a leading production house.