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.
Currently Teaching
In the News
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October 31, 2024
![people stand on a set of a film.]()
RIT’s School of Film and Animation named among the top 50 best film schools by ‘TheWrap’
Unique program offerings, technological expertise, and cutting-edge facilities earned RIT’s School of Film and Animation another placement on a top film school ranking list this year. RIT placed 29th in TheWrap’s Top 50 Film Schools for 2024 list, marking the first year RIT was featured in this ranking.
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October 10, 2024
![A grid of creative work by faculty/administration in design, film and animation, photography, and sculpture.]()
Venice Art Biennial showcases RIT's extensive creative community
Six faculty are featured in an exhibition in Venice that showcases the College of Art and Design's breadth of creative disciplines through the unification of sculpture, film, photography, and industrial design.
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August 15, 2024
![two students stand in front of a small screen reviewing footage in the MAGIC Center Color Correction Suite on campus.]()
RIT’s School of Film and Animation ranked among the top 25 American film schools
RIT’s School of Film and Animation (SOFA) has earned a spot on The Hollywood Reporter’s top film schools list. Ranking at number 25, this is the first time RIT has been included in The Hollywood Reporter’s rankings.
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July 18, 2023
Thakur’s film ‘Terrible Children’ earns accolades