Pradipta Bhattacharyya
Pradipta Bhattacharyya is an accomplished filmmaker, screenwriter, producer and editor based in Kolkata, India, whose work spans a wide spectrum of cinematic forms and genres. Born and raised in Berhampore, a small historical town in West Bengal, he brings a deep sensitivity to the cultural and emotional landscapes of his narratives. A graduate in Film Editing from Roopkala Kendro, Kolkata (2002–2004), he has been actively working in the field of cinema since 2004.
Over the past two decades, Pradipta has directed three feature films, four feature-length films for television, ten short films, two long-form documentaries, two web series, and numerous workshop-based projects. As an editor, his extensive portfolio includes over a hundred films—spanning feature films, short fiction, documentaries, animation, video art, and experimental cinema. His directorial voice is marked by a quiet intensity and an empathetic gaze, often exploring themes of memory, identity, and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. Deeply rooted in the socio-cultural fabric of Bengal, his films resonate with authenticity and emotional nuance.
In addition to his creative work, Pradipta is deeply committed to film education. He is engaged with several academic and training institutions, including Roopkala Kendro, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Visva-Bharati University, various colleges under the University of Calcutta, and Jadavpur University. He regularly conducts classes and workshops in direction and editing, and actively mentors young filmmakers. Pradipta also shows and organizes film festivals and screenings in rural and suburban Bengal, helping to democratize access to cinema and foster a deeper appreciation for film culture in areas deprived of cinematic exposure. He regularly writes on cinema in newspapers and magazines, contributing to wider public discourse on film and media.
A peer-reviewed journal article on his debut feature—titled “Interweaving Dystopian and Utopian Spaces, Constructing Social Realism on Screen: Bakita Byaktigato/The Rest is Personal”—was published in the Open Library of Humanities Journal (Volume 5, Issue 1, 2019).
His debut feature, Bakita Byaktigato (The Rest is Personal), received the National Film Award for Best Bengali Film in 2013. His second feature, Rajlokkhi o Srikanta, was released in 2019. The Slowman and His Raft (Nadharer Bhela), his most recent work, world-premiered at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam in 2025. It was the only Indian film selected for the Kolkata International Film Festival 2025, where it was hugely appreciated, and it went on to win the Best Film award at IFFSA, Toronto, in 2025.
