ASMP New York is pleased to announce that Photographer, Filmmaker & Philanthropist Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri will be speaking at IDEA SHARE in New York City on March 1, 2014.
Award-winning director and photographer Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri is renowned for her iconic imagery and visionary storytelling. Her work is described as “A powerful dream vision—seamless…unforgettable” (The Masters). Shaped by her unusual background, Vanity Fair says “Indrani’s career is a fairytale that makes you dream.”
Born in a Calcutta, India, to a historic Indian family and a mother working with Mother Theresa, Indrani was raised between glamorous galas and comforting the dying. At 14 she began traveling the world as a model-actress to learn photography and filmmaking, and she studied philosophy at spiritual centers along the way. At 18 she returned to India for a 6 month meditation and photography pilgrimage, and donated all her earnings to co-found a charitable women’s empowerment foundation, Shakti Empowerment Education, providing primary and secondary education to 300 impoverished children, literacy and vocational training for women, and a free homeopathic clinic.
Indrani then studied Anthropology at Princeton University, spearheaded a student initiative to create a South Asian Studies Program, and developed her professional photography career in NY with classical harpist Markus Klinko, before graduating magna cum laude. While at college, Indrani’s work was discovered by fashion icon Isabella Blow, who commissioned her first magazine covers and editorials, and by David Bowie who commissioned the cover of Iman’s book of most famous photos of the quarter century, and Bowie’s album cover for Heathen.
Markus Klinko and Indrani were soon known as “Two of photography’s biggest talents” (American Photo) “At the forefront of contemporary photography” (NOWNESS). Their book ICONS (Running Press) released in 2013, is described as “A visionary tour de force” (Elle) and “Wildly creative” (The Daily Beast).
In 2010 Indrani branched out on a solo career as a director of films, music videos and commercials. Her first commercial for Keep A Child Alive against AIDS in Africa and India, along with a stills campaign, raised over a million dollars in under a week and won 2 Gold Lions at Cannes.
Her first short film, Legend of Lady White Snake, swept 4 of the 8 categories winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Fashion and Best Special Effects plus the Red Camera Award at the International Fashion Film Festival at La Jolla, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in 2012. It was featured at the Lincoln Center, at the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology, NY, the Australian Center for the Moving Image and at the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris at ASVOFF, and in editorials including the New York Times, the London Sunday Times, WWD, Muse Magazine, Mexican Vogue, French Elle, Italian Grazia, the book Daphne Guinness and the ad campaign for her celebrated windows at Barney’s New York. The film was written, produced and directed by Indrani, based on an ancient Chinese legend, along with a poem by Neil Gaiman and dialogue written by Bernard Henri Levy, and starring fashion icon Daphne Guinness, in original couture by Alexander McQueen and creative direction by GK Reid. It is described by the Huffington Post as “A magical little film…Guinness shines in this tale of love, life and loss;” by Camille Paglia as “Daphne is sensational! Beautifully captured in Legend of Lady White Snake;” and by Tatler Hong Kong as “A highly conceptualized interpretation… Guinness ignites a Gothic Chinese legend.”
Amongst her most acclaimed music videos, Indrani directed David Bowie’s chart-topping Valentine’s Day, which “Radiates intensity” according to Rolling Stone, and is “Thrilling and intense” says NPR. She also directed Alicia Keys’ New Day video, described by MTV as “Bold and high-energy,” and Mariah Carey’s “You’re Mine” released in February 2014.
Indrani co-executive produced and starred in Double Exposure, an American TV documentary series on Bravo about her work with her collaborators, which has been syndicated in over 100 countries in 2010-2013.
Her work has been shown in over 20 exhibitions, most recently at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute (2013-2014), and to accompany the release of her book ICONS, a week-long 30-piece retrospective of her work was presented by the Lincoln Center NY in 2013:
Markus and Indrani, globally esteemed celebrity and fashion photography and director duo have captured many of today’s most provocative pop culture legends…Glamorous, dynamic and teetering on the verge of reality and fantasy, their ability to stand at the cross roads of pop culture and critical acclaim has made their work a salient point in the quickly evolving digital, cluttered media markets worldwide. –Lincolncenter.org
Indrani’s recent subjects include Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Eva Mendes, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Will Smith, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. Ad campaigns include Lancome, Elizabeth Arden, L’Oreal, Pantene, Barney’s NY, LVMH, Anna Sui, Hugo Boss, Shiseido, Puma, Nike and Pepsi. Her work has been featured on Larry King Live, Showbiz Tonight, Access Hollywood, E! News, Extra!, Inside Edition, CNN, America’s Next Top Model, Make Me A Supermodel, VH1’s The Short List, Style Me, Fashion Television, The “It” Factor, CBS, USA Today; she has been featured in publications including Huffington Post, LA Times, Slate, Time, People, New York Post, Daily Mail, Washington Post, and The Times of India; and in numerous magazines including Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ Interview, WWD, Muse, Flaunt, London Sunday Times and New York Times.
She created definitive images for many luminaries’ books including: Gaga’s Book of Gaga; Iman’s I am Iman and Beauty of Color; Tim Gunn’s A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style; Kimora Lee’s Fabulosity; Britney Spears’ The Onyx Tour; Lisa Bloom’s Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World; Soul Style: Black Women Redefining the Color of Fashion; Patrick Remy’s Desire; Black+White: The Masters; Creative Impulse; International Festival of Fashion’s Millennium of Mode; Music by Dolce & Gabbana; and Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood.
After 20 years of co-directing SEEschool.org, Indrani’s objective remains to inspire positive change. Among her many philanthropic works are 3 campaigns for Keep A Child Alive; Crisis in Central African Republic: Malaria which she filmed in Bangui for the UN and PSI starring Mandy Moore; a Julian Lennon music video benefitting for HOPE for victims of the tsunami in Japan; and Finish the Fight commercials she directed alongside James Mangold for the American Cancer Society starring Mary J. Blige.
Indrani directed and filmed Girl Epidemic in the slums of Mumbai, which Perez Hilton calls “A thrilling trailer-style short,” to raise awareness of female infanticide, with the support of Project Nanhi/Strawberry Frog. According to Forbes: “Indrani’s wonderfully interesting story of the plight of girls is absolutely riveting, shocking and touching… Indrani’s direction is brilliant and provocative!”
Indrani is the Director of Arts and Culture at the Global Millennium Development Foundation working with the UN to create the Global Film Forum at the UN Headquarters in the Spring of 2014, bringing the private and public sector together to improve the quality of life for those in need.
IDEA SHARE is presented by The American Society of Media Photographers, New York Chapter, as part of a three day event focusing on business, inspiration, creativity and innovation. IDEA SHARE will take place on March 1, 2014 at Baruch College in New York City. Pre-Registration is required, please register here.