Faculty Members

Arpan Thapa is a celebrated Nepali actor, director, and screenwriter, recognized for his versatility and powerful performances. A graduate of the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute, Mumbai (2000), he has dedicated over two decades to the Nepali film industry. With more than 35 films to his credit, Thapa has established himself as one of Nepal’s most admired actors, earning praise for his ability to portray diverse and deeply compelling characters. His contribution has not only enriched contemporary Nepali cinema but also inspired a new generation of filmmakers and performers.

Anirruddha Aatreya is a freelance filmmaker, writer, and director with extensive experience in short films, feature films, OTT projects, and documentaries. He has collaborated with leading production houses as a director, screenwriter, and script developer, with several works earning festival nominations and awards. Alongside filmmaking, he teaches at Kantipur Film Academy and other institutions, inspiring the next generation of storytellers. His notable projects include Alikhit, The Last Letter, Ardhalikhit, Samarpan, Trasad, and documentaries such as An Artist from Chitwan and Ambassador Football. Recognized with honors including Best Director at the Social Media Film Awards, Aatreya continues to balance artistic vision with production realities, contributing to the growth of Nepal’s film industry.

Purushottam Pradhan is well known Director of Photography (DOP) from Nepali Film Industry with more than 200 Nepali movies credit. He has been the recipient of 31 best cinematographer Awards Including three National Film Awards, two NFDC National Film Awards, three Kamana Film Awards, three Inas Film Awards, two Global Nepali Film Awards, four Box Office Film Awards, two Image Awards, NEFTA Film Awards, INFA Film Awards, FAAN Awards and LG Film Awards. He has worked as a DOP in various successful movies like Kabaddi, Chhakka Panja, Dreams, Loot, Maya’s Bar, Vijilante 3D, Kri, Nai Na Bhannu La series, etc.

Mitra D. Gurung is a well-known Film Editor, Colorist, and Graphic Designer from Nepal, who has been working in the Nepali Film Industry since 2006 AD. He received his Diploma in Animation from Arena Multimedia in 2008. He received the national award for his work in Jatra(2017) and Mangalam(2018) along with more awards for Shatrugate and Katha Kathmandu.

Some of his works as an editor are Rose, Firke, Gore, Hitler, Dal Bhat Tarkari, Jatrai Jatra.

Sarita Giri is one of the prominent theater Actor and highly experienced Acting instructor. She did her Diploma in theater from Gurukul. She has taken part in a dozen of national and international workshops like Puppet Theatre (Anna sobel, Philippines), Basic Lightening Techniques and design (Marriana, Norway), Alternative Theatre (Prabin Guha, India), Physical Theatre ( steve clorfein, New York). She has been featured in movies like: Acharya, Signature, Gurudakshina, Kashmari galbandi, Bina Karan, Nagarike, Padmani  Kagaj Patra and more. She has done more than 50 national and international acclaimed theater shows. Maya’s husk husband is her latest short project that has garnered lots of praise.

Shailendra D Karki is the accomplished freelancer Director of Photography from Nepali Film Industry who has shot various television programs and also renowned movies such as Jerry, Kabaddi Kabaddi(2,3) Intu Mitu London Ma, Saili and many more. He graduated from University of Bridgeport in the faculty of Cinematography.

Subarna Thapa is well known Film Director from Nepali Film Industry. He has Directed acclaimed Films like ‘Soongava’, ‘Fanko’ and ‘Bato Muni ko Ful 2’ and many more short Films. He  graduated from the Cours Florent, Paris in dramatic arts. He has played many roles in both France and Nepal, honing his craft at the Comédie Française, Paris, and also with the Japan Foundation in Tokyo and the Asia Society in New York. His first short film, Funeral – 2008, screened in different int’l short film festivals and awarded, was broadcast on French National TV France 3, in November 2009.

Sampada Malla is a Screenwriter/Film maker working in Nepal and India. She is the Board of Director and Creative Director of Sarwanam Theatre Group. She holds MA in Film making from Asian Academy of Films and TV, India. She has done screenplay of various Hindi series like: Ishq Ka Rang Safed (Colors TV), Gumrah, Fear Files, Himal (unreleased) and many more. She has also worked as a script writer for Singha Durbar.

Dasharath Giri is a renowned personality in the Field of Editing & Animation. He completed his 3 years professional Diploma in Multimedia from Arena Animation Academy, Hyderabad, India. He has worked in many South Indian movies including ‘Don No. 1’ and ‘Aparichit’ as a member of animation team. He has also worked as an Animator, Editor and Colourist in Nepali movies like ‘Tyo Das Ghanta’, ‘Kathmandu’, ‘Alvida’,’ Chaal’,’ Timro Kasam’ and many more. He debuted as a director with the feature lm ‘Kaifiyat’.

Abinash Bikram Shah is a freelance writer/director based in Kathmandu. His work thus far has travelled to film festivals worldwide including Berlinale, Venice and Busan. His short films carry a host of awards, including Best Short Film in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. He is an alumnus of Asian Film Academy 2008, Busan and Berlinale Talent Campus, 2010 and he works as Programming Director at Ekadeshma International Short Film Festival. He has worked in many hit films as a Scriptwriter like Highway, The Black Hen(Kalo Pothi).

Vikas Sharma is a professional screenwriter working in Hindi Film Industry, a freelance script consultant and a full-time senior faculty of Screenwriting at Whistling Woods International in Film City, Mumbai. Before joining Whistling woods, he taught Screenplay Writing in Film and TV Institute of India, Pune for five years. He has been conducting writing workshops of various duration for the film schools, Media colleges, universities, film festivals etc. all over the country. He also conducts Short Term courses, an initiative of Skill India for FTII.

Apart from conducting regular workshops, he has also been a mentor and a chief adviser for various script labs, programs and fellowships such as New Voices Fellowship for Screenwriters 2015-16, an Asia Society’s initiative, 100 Story Teller Program 2015, Cine Rise Screenwriting Program 2016, Mumbai Mantra Media Ltd, Cinestaan’s India’s Storytellers Contest 2018 etc.

Saroj Shrestha is a Film Director, Documentary Filmmaker, Script Writer, Cinematographer, and Editor based in Nepal.
He has been working in films and digital media since 2005. He is a key resource person of Bikalpa Cinema Society, the filmmaking Society (Kathmandu) from the past three years.
He has worked as A.D in Feature film Sanguro, Batuli ko chura & directed various documentaries like Iman Singh Chemzong and short films.

Alexander Labedev is a Famous Russian Theatre Director, educated in St. Petersburg. He is the head of the Novosibirsk State Institute and Chief Director of the Novosibirsk Drama Theatre "On the left bank, Russia.

Bishnu Kalpit Ghimire is one of the talented, energetic and  experienced camera person in Nepal. He has numerous music videos, tv commercials, short films, documentaries and more than a dozen Nepali features films such as Andaaz, Hifajat, Das Dhunga, Samaya, Bhimdatta, Dhanda, Jaljala, etc. He won national film award for Best Cinematographer in 2011 for the feature film Andaaz. He has also been working as a camera person for Aljazeera ‘English’ since 2008. He is currently working with Academy Award nominated director Eric Valli (director of Caravan) on a documentary titled “Nepal Beyond the Clouds”. He has also worked for BBC, ARD German TV, NHK World, Nepal 1TV and other national and international news agencies as a freelance cameraperson.