In a first-time collaboration with US-based Human Security For All (HS4A), IKFF brings to you a masterclass that will help you understand the current issues of the world better and how you can make a difference. Dora Damjanovic is a Public Relations Manager for the Human Security for All project. She studied Global Affairs at King’s College London, specializing in India, Africa and South America. She is also a Junior Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and one of the founders of Youth Leadership Network, a global NGO that aims to connect young leaders, activists, and field experts to organizations and projects to create more youth participation in the 21st century. She also has her sustainable clothing brand “Doro Design” through which she promotes sustainable development and raises awareness about climate change. She also worked as a project coordinator assistant in the United Nations and European Parliament.

Do you want to make a film but get scared by all the snazzy equipment you will need? Worry not, today films can be made on a smartphone camera also! We will show you how. Madhuri Moryani is the programming manager for the International Kids Film Festival. She has been working in the film industry for the past 6 years and has worked with renowned faces like Anupam Kher, Ravina Tandon and Kay Kay Menon. She has worked on various film ventures like corporate, TVC's and features, and has a strong creative vision that she brings to every project she is a part of. Shivangi Iyer is a documentary filmmaker from Delhi. Over the past few years, she has worked on numerous films that document the marginalized, minority communities in India and victims of hate crime. She has also extensively documented political protests and holds a postgraduate degree from Jamia Milia Islamia University, New Delhi. She currently works as a Films Specialist with LXL Ideas, the organisation behind IKFF.

This masterclass introduces you to the ABCs of Screenwriting. Get a glimpse of the writing behind the cult classics, understand the importance of words and dialogues in creating a dynamic film, and learn how you could start writing your own screenplay. Aditi Sharma is an India-based cinematographer and filmmaker. She studied cinematography at Film and Television Institute of India and then went on to shoot and co-produce two award-winning indie films “Tikli and Laxmi Bomb” and “Incessant Fear of Rape”, which were later released on Netflix India. Her last film as a DP “Not Today” won the FIPRESCI in 2021. Aditi was the recipient of the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) Bursary for the 2023 INTRO: DOX, Denmark and she was also a fellow at this year’s Interaction Doc Workshop in Serbia. She is currently directing her first documentary, which was adjudged Best Pitch at Doc Edge NZ 2022.

A special screening of the Oscar-nominated short film 'An Ostrich told me the world was fake and I Believed it!' will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker himself. If the title of the film is not enough to get you interested, attend this session to find out how some of your favourite stop-motion animation films are made. Lachlan is a writer, director, and animator based in Brisbane, Australia. He is most known for his Academy Award nominated, animated short film called An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It. Lachlan studied animation at Griffith Film School in Brisbane and is currently a PhD candidate. He specialises in the medium of stop-motion animation.

Everyone is a Storyteller, including you! Whether you are a budding writer, a playwright or a filmmaker, you need a great story to get started. But finding a good story is a mammoth task, right? WRONG! Award-winning filmmaker Safdar Rehman will take you on a journey of finding your own story, something that's unique and your very own. Safdar Rahman’s first feature film, CHIPPA, was released globally in June 2020 as a Netflix exclusive to rave reviews. His career started, in a way, in 2012 when he found himself leading a classroom of 7-year-olds as a part of the Teach for India program. In 2014, he directed a theatre piece called Haroun ki Dilchasp Kahani with a cast of 30 4th graders. Safdar also runs Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, a not-for-profit organisation that trains students from under-supported backgrounds in the arts. He is also currently developing his second fiction feature film, titled Jangal Mahal, an adaptation of the young adult novel What Happened to Regina That Night, which is a teenage adventure drama that takes place in the forests of Central India.