Shanti Thakur
School Director
Shanti Thakur
School Director
Education
BA, Ottawa University (Ottawa, Canada); BA, Concordia University (Montreal, Canada); MFA, Temple University
Bio
Shanti Thakur, Professor and Director of RIT’s School of Film and Animation, is an award-winning filmmaker, recognized for visually lush fiction and documentary films that span a landscape of subjects from science fiction to restorative justice. Her poetic eye explores the essence of humanity, and how we perceive each other through the lens of history, memory and identity.
Her most recent feature-length documentary, Terrible Children, shares the discovered story of her Indian father, who was banished for marrying her Danish mother, via a letter that had remained unopened for 20 years.
A native of Montreal, Thakur’s films have screened at more than 200 film festivals and museums, including the Cannes Film Festival, The Museum of Modern Art and the Montreal World Film Festival, garnering 26 awards. Her films have been broadcast in 23 countries, on the Sundance Channel and Independent Lens, and are currently available on Amazon Prime, IndieFlix, Women Make Movies and the National Film Board of Canada. She writes, directs and produces through her company Lucida Films, LLC., and directed for the National Film Board of Canada.
In the News
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March 21, 2023
![Graduate students collaborate in a lab.]()
Multi-million dollar animation renovation fosters collaboration, community
RIT's School of Film and Animation recently completed a 10,000-square-foot renovation and expansion of its animation complex, equipped with any tool or resource animators need.
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February 16, 2023
![A group of students and faculty pose for a group photo in LA.]()
Study Away: LA program offers film students professional and life experiences
RIT's Study Away: LA program took its maiden voyage in the fall as students immersed themselves in the Hollywood filmmaking and entertainment landscape.
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September 28, 2022
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Watch: Kathy Brew on the Design is One: Lella & Massimo Vignelli Documentary
Design Milk highlights the Vignelli Center for Design Studies’ Design Conversations Lecture Series.
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July 18, 2023
Thakur’s film ‘Terrible Children’ earns accolades