Telling Stories: Directing Fiction and Non Fiction – Masterclass with Asif Kapadia
Dharamshala International Film Festival 2012
BAFTA winning filmmaker, Asif Kapadia is known for his visually striking films exploring characters living in timeless, extreme and unforgiving landscapes. His films have been awarded and distributed internationally and shown how versatile and expressive British cinema can be. Born in Hackney in 1972, Kapadia studied filmmaking at the Royal College of Art where he first gained recognition with his short The Sheep Thief (1997) shot in Rajasthan, India.
Kapadia’s distinct visual style continued with his first feature The Warrior (2001), shot in the deserts of Rajasthan and the snow capped Himalaya. The Warrior was championed in the British Press as ‘epic’ and ‘stunning’ (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian) and in 2003 was nominated for three BAFTA awards, winning two for Outstanding British Film of the Year and The Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a Director in their First Feature.
Far North (2007) premiered at the Venice Film Festival, based on a short story by writer Sara Maitland. Kapadia used the epic and brutal arctic landscape to show what desperation and loneliness can drive people to do.
Kapadia’s fourth feature SENNA, the thrilling story of the Brazilian motor-racing legend Ayrton Senna was Nominated for three BAFTA awards, winning Best Documentary and Best Editing.