Education
M.F.A., Media Arts Production, The City College of New York B.A., Human Rights and Media Studies, Hampshire College
WEB SITE
Filmmaker, Eco-Activist
Brooklyn, New York
Recent film phenomenon and eco-activist Shalini Kantayya has been creating huge waves in both the film industry as well as environmental awareness. As the creative director of her own production company, 7th Empire Media, Shalini creates imaginative films inspired by true stories to engage new audiences in the most vital issues of our time. Working with a variety of social movements, she uses the distribution of her films to advocate effectively for real social change. Her most mainstream appearance was in the Fox television series created by Steven Spielberg, On the Lot, to find Hollywood's next great director. Shalini finished in the top 10 out of over 12,000 filmmakers and received critical acclaim from industry legends. Shalini received the honor of a William D. Fulbright Fellowship to create a documentary about how street theater has impacted social issues in India. Her recent film, A Drop of Life, brought the mounting global water crisis into a dynamic futuristic film that continues to garner awards and inspire communities to take action on water rights. The exploration of the world water crisis has brought global food security and nutrition issues to Shalini's focus. Continuing to create awareness about these issues among youth through the creation of innovative films and a campus lecture tour is the next step Shalini will take in her media career.
