Dr Shuchi Tarun Kothari
BA(Hons), MA, PhD
Biography
Shuchi Kothari writes screenplays for the film industries in New Zealand, India, and USA. She has also produced short films of international acclaim and for television, New Zealand’s first prime-time Asian show titled A Thousand Apologies.
Shuchi's feature film Firaaq (2008) has screened at prestigious film festivals around the world, and has won 14 international awards. In 2010 Shuchi was nominated in the "best story" catetory for the Star Screen Awards in India. Her creative work reflects her interest in issues related to migration, settlement, South Asian diaspora, and Indian cinema. She is the recipient of the New Zealand Film Commission’s Writer’s Award for 2009.
- Screenplay writing, production, digital storytelling South Asian popular culture, politics of food.
Research | Current
- Screenplay writing
- Producing
- Digital storytelling,
I'm currently working on three feature projects:
Stand-Up Straight, feature screenplay (in development): A drama about the nature of comedy, this feature explores comedy's compulsions and the nature of happiness. Tag line: Can love and laughter live happily ever after?
Navratri aka Nine Nights, feature screenplay (research and writing phase )is conceived as an ensemble film that explores sexual and romantic desire in contemporary Gujarat.
Making Murphy, animated feature screenplay (research and writing) is a story of a young girl who desires a different avatar. in an age of extreme makeovers where one is constantly sold the idea of of a better version of oneself at the edge of a scalpel or chemical peel, Making Murphy sends out a strong message to youngsters that they only need to focus on the inside, 'cause as far as their body goes, it kicks ass, just as it is.'
Digital Stoytelling in the Pacific: (with Dr. Sarina Pearson)
The Digital Storytelling Project gives voice to relatively underrepresented communities in the Pacific. Digital storytelling is a short form, relatively low tech, audiovisual model, originally developed at Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, California. Over the course of a 3-day workshop, participants produce stories that are 3-4 minutes long, based in reality with a focus on an event, a person or a place. Drs. Kothari and Pearson facilitate the workshop, offering creative and technical instruction. Digital storytelling offers a significant and accessible alternative to traditional forms of cinematic expression. Unlike feature films such as The Orator (2011), which are undeniably inspirational, this model empowers a broader range of people producing a living archive of grass roots stories that contain critical insight about contemporary and historical life that are rarely captured by official narratives. This project facilitates the production of Pacific stories and an archive that we will use for academic research and make available to communities in the Pacific region.
Previous creative research outputs
Film Credits
Firaaq (Writer),101 mins., Percept Picture Company, Mumbai, India, 2008
2009 March Nationwide Theatrical Release in India
2010 January Nominated in the category for Best Screenplay by the 52nd Annual Filmfare
Awards, Mumbai, India (India’s equivalent to the Academy Awards)
2010 March Nominated in the category for Best Story by the Star Screen Awards, Mumbai,
India (India’s equivalent to the Golden Globe Awards)
2010 January Best Film Award (Critics’ Choice) at the Star Screen Awards, Mumbai, India
2010 Won Best Film at 9th Imagineindia Film Festival, Madrid, Spain, May
International Film Festivals Official Selection
2008 Telluride International Film Festival, September, Film introduced by author Salman Rushdie
2008 53rd Toronto International Film Festival, September
2008 8th Dubai International Film Festival, December, won the Best Editing award
2008 12th International Film Festival of Kerala December, won Best Debut Feature
2008 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival November, won the Special Jury Prize
2008 27th Vancouver International Film Festival, October 2008 Pusan International Film Festival, Korea, October 2008 52nd BFI London International Film Festival, October
2008 Asian Film Festival of First Films, Singapore, won Best Screenplay and Best Film
2009 The New India Cinema at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, USA,
June
2009 Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil, October
2009 Independent FilmFest Osnabrueck Unabhaengiges, Germany, October
2009 Oslo Films from the South, Norway, November
2009 International Human Rights Film Festival in Nuremberg, Germany, September
2009 Hamburg Film Festival, Germany, September
2009 7th Vladivostok Festival of Asia-Pacific countries "Pacific Meridian" Russia,
September, won Special Jury Award 2009 New Zealand International Film Festival, New Zealand July
2009 Durban International Film Festival, South Africa July
2009 Flying Broom Ankara International Women's Film Festival Turkey May, won
Best Debut Feature
2009 Off Camera Independent Film Festival, Poland, April
2009 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, April, won Grand Jury Prize Honorable
Mention for Best Narrative Feature
2009 Istanbul International Film Festival, Turkey, April, won Special Jury Prize FACE
2009 Copenhagen International Film Festival - Asia Section, Denmark, April
2009 Festival Cinematografico Internacional del Uruguay, Uruguay, March
2009 Amsterdam Amnesty International Film Festival, The Netherlands, March
2009 Guadalajara Festival International de Cine - Puntos Cardinales / Cardinal Points,
Mexico, March
2009 London Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, March
2009 Fribourg Film Festival, Switzerland, March
2009 Bruges Cinema Novo Festival, Belgium, March
2009 Deauville Asian Film Festival, France, March
2009 Cinequest 19 Film Festival, San Jose, USA, February, won Maverick Spirit Award
2009 Kara Film Festival, Pakistan, February, won Best Feature Film
2009 The Tromso International Film Festival, Norway, January
2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA, January
2010 9th Imagineindia Film Festival, Madrid, Spain, May, won Best Film
Apron Strings (Writer/Co-Producer), 90 mins., Great Southern Film and Television, New Zealand 2008
2008 July, opening film of the 40th New Zealand International Film Festival
2008 August, Nationwide Theatrical Release in New Zealand, Rialto Distribution
2009 May, Special Selection Cannes Film Festival (Cinephile), France
2009 September, Qantas Finalist Best Screenplay, Best Film, Best Director, New Zealand Film and Television Awards
International Film Festivals Official Selection
2008 Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival, Malaysia, November
2008 5th Dubai International Film Festival, UAE, December
2008 53rd Toronto International Film Festival, Canada, September
2008 39th International Film Festival of India, November
2008 45th Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei, Taiwan, November
2009 MIAAC Ninth Annual Film Festival, New York, USA, October
2009 Mill Valley International Film Festival, USA, October
2009 Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, USA, May
2009 Minneapolis St.Paul Film Festival, Minneapolis, USA, April
2009 Off Camera International Film Festival, Poland, April
2009 Creteil Women's Film Festival, France, March
2009 Cleveland International Film Festival, USA, March
2009 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, USA, January
Six Dollar Fifty Man (Executive Producer),14 mins., Sticky Pictures, New Zealand 2009
International Awards
2009 62nd Festival De Cannes, France, awarded Special Distinction
2010 Sundance Film Festival, USA, won Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking
2010 60th Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin– Generation Kplus, Germany,
awarded Special Mention
2010 Six Dollar Fifty Man Aspen Shortsfest, USA, won Best Drama
2010 Six Dollar Fifty Man British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Los
Angeles, awarded Prize for Excellence
Take-3 (Executive Producer), 8 mins., Frame-Up Films, New Zealand 2008
International Awards
2008 58th Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin– Generation Kplus, Germany, awarded Special Mention
2008 Valladolid International Film Festival, won Meeting Point Audience Award for Best Foreign Short
Coffee & Allah (Writer/Producer), 14 mins., Nomadz Unlimited Ltd, New Zealand 2007
International Film Festivals Official Selection
2007 63rd Venice International Film Festival, Corto Cortissimo, Italy, August
2007 52nd Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain, September
2008 34th Seattle International Film Festival, USA, June
2008 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Prague, July
2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA, July
2008 40th Auckland International Film Festival, New Zealand, July
2008 Hof International Film Festival, Germany, November
2008 51st San Francisco International Film Festival, USA, April
2008 Hawaii International Film Festival, won Best Short Film 2008 Golden Minbar International Muslim Cinema Festival, Tatarstan, won Best short Film
2009 Kara Film Festival, Pakistan, February
2009 Opening Gala: Award Winners From Around the World, Worldwide Short
Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, June
2009 Licensed for broadcast to MTS (New Zealand) Rialto Entertainment (New
Zealand)
2009 Licensed for broadcast to Cinephil Cable TV (Japan)
Clean Linen (Writer/Producer), 13 mins., Nomadz Unlimited Ltd, New Zealand 2007
International Film Festivals Official Selection
2008 26th San Francisco International Film Festival, USA, April
2008 San Diego Asian Film Festival, USA, May
2008 South Asian International Film Festival, New York City, USA, November 2007 Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia, July
2007 39th Auckland International Film Festival, New Zealand, July
Fleeting Beauty (Writer/Producer) 7 mins., Nomadz Unlimited Ltd, New Zealand 2004
International Film Festivals Official Selection
2004 36th Auckland International Film Festival, New Zealand, July
2004 Montreal World Film Festival, Canada, September
2004 49th Valladolid International Film Festival, October
2004 9th Kerala International Film Festival, India, December
2005 Indian International Film Festival of Los Angeles, USA, April
2005 Hof International Film Festival, Germany October
2005 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, Taiwan, November
2005 International Women's Film Festival, Torino, Italy, October
2005 Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA, September
2005 28th International Asian American Film Festival and national
tour in affiliation with the Asia Society of New York, USA, July
2005 Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, June
2005 Aotearoa Asia Film Festival 2005 Kiwi Classics Film Series - Rialto, Auckland
2004 Licensed for broadcast on Canal + (Poland)
2005 Licensed for broadcast to Maori Television Service, Rialto Entertainment, New
Zealand
Television Credits
A Thousand Apologies (Writer/Producer), 22 mins. x 6 episodes, Great Southern Television, New Zealand, 2008
Episode 1, TV3 & Great Southern Television, 05-09-2008 Episode 2, TV3 & Great Southern Television, 12-09-2008 Episode 3, TV3 & Great Southern Television, 19-09-2008 Episode 4, TV3 & Great Southern Television, 26-09-2008 Episode 5, TV3 & Great Southern Television, 03-10-2008 Episode 6, TV3 & Great Southern Television, 10-10-2008
A Taste of Place: Stories of Food & Longing (Writer/Presenter) 46 mins., Nomadz Unlimited Ltd. New Zealand 2001
TV-1 (TVNZ) New Zealand 05-02-2001 2001 Hawaii International Film Festival, USA
Refereed Journal Articles
PEARSON, S.R. and KOTHARI, S.T., “Menus for a Multicultural New Zealand”, Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 21.1 (2007): 45-58.
KOTHARI, S.T., “From Genre To Zenana: Urdu Drama serials and Women's culture in Pakistan”, Contemporary South Asia, 14.3 (2005): 289-305.
KOTHARI, S.T. and KOTHARI R.A., “Roots and Routes: Two Partition Narratives” Indian Journal of World Literature and Culture, 1.1(2004): 95-100.
Sections in Books
KOTHARI, S.T. and PEARSON, S.R., “Producing Media: The project, the producer, the vision and the budget.” In Luke Goode and Nabeel Zuberi (eds.) Media Studies in Aotearoa/ New Zealand. Auckland: Pearson, 1-11, 2010. KOTHARI, S.T. and KOTHARI, R.A., “Crossing the Border in Opposite Directions: Two Partition Narratives.” In Anjali Gera Roy and Nandi Bhatia (eds.), Partitioned Lives: Narratives of Home, Displacement
and Resettlement, Delhi: Pearson Longman, 146-156, 2007.
KOTHARI, S.T. “Questioning the Audience.” In Luke Goode and Nabeel Zuberi (eds.), Media Studies in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Auckland: Pearson, 46-58, 2004.
KOTHARI, S.T., PEARSON, S.R., ZUBERI, N.M. “Multiculturalism and Television in Aotearoa/New Zealand.” In Roger Horrocks and Nick Perry (eds.), Television in New Zealand: Programming the Nation, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 135-151, 2004.
KOTHARI, S.T. and PEARSON, S.R. “Taste of Place: Stories of Food and Loss.” In Michael Hanne (ed) Creativity in Exile, Amsterdam: Rodopi, 227-228, 2004.
KOTHARI, S.T. “Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry, film by Sturla Gunnarsson.” In Jaina C Sanga (ed), South Asian Literature in English: An Encyclopedia, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 313-315, 2004.
KOTHARI, S.T. “Upamanyu Chatterjee.” In Jaina C Sanga (ed), South Asian Literature in English: An Encyclopedia, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 44-46, 2004.
KOTHARI, S.T. and ZUBERI, N.M. “The Heart is still Indian: Bollywood and the South Asian Diaspora.” In Alexandra Schneider and Cecilia Hausheer (eds), Alpine Reflections on an Indian Silver Screen, Zurich, Museum Für Gestaltung, 162-169, 2002.
Teaching | Current
FTVMS 303 Film and Broadcast Writing
SCREEN 301 Screenplay Writing
SCREEN 700 Screenwriting Project
SCREEN 797AB Production Project
Postgraduate supervision
Distinctions/Honours
2010 Nominated in the category for Best Screenplay by the 52nd Annual Filmfare Awards, Mumbai, India (India’s equivalent to the Academy Awards) for the feature film Firaaq (writer).
2010 Nominated in the category for Best Story by the Star Screen Awards, Mumbai, India (India’s equivalent to the Golden Globe Awards) for the feature film Firaaq (writer).
2010 Best Film Award (Critics’ Choice) for Firaaq (writer) at the Star Screen Awards, Mumbai, India
2010 Six Dollar Fifty Man (executive producer) Awarded Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking, Sundance Film Festival, USA
2009 Received the Writer’s Award by the New Zealand Film Commission (NZD $50,000)
2009 Apron Strings (co-writer/co-producer) Special Selection 62nd Festival De Cannes (Cinephile), France, May
2009 Six Dollar Fifty Man (executive producer) In Competition - 62nd Festival De Cannes, Awarded Special Distinction- 62nd Festival De Cannes, France
2008 Invited as a writer, to attend the world premiere for two features (Firaaq, Apron Strings) by the Toronto International Film Festival, Canada, September
2007 Coffee & Allah (writer/producer) In Competition at the Venice International Film Festival
2007 Awarded (jointly with Sarina Pearson and Great Southern Television) a grant from New Zealand On 2007 Air for the production of A Thousand Apologies, New Zealand’s first Asian prime-time television series (NZ$645,000)
2006 Selected by the New Zealand Film Commission as mentor and Executive Producer for six short films for NZ$345,000
2005 Awarded (jointly with Sarina Pearson) the Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Development Fund for a pilot episode of A Thousand Apologies (NZ$90,000)
1999 Awarded (jointly with Sarina Pearson) a grant from New Zealand On Air for the television documentary A Taste of Place: Stories of Food and Longing
1992 Awarded the James Michener Fellowship for Screenplay writing, Texas Centre for Writers, University of Texas at Austin (US$30,000)
Areas of expertise
Screenplay writing, producing, digital storytelling
Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)
- Kothari, S. T., & Taylor, D. (10/7/2008). Apron Strings, Great Southern Film. Toronto International Film Festival: Great Southern Film/New Zealand Film Commission, Rialto Distribution.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/17332 - Kothari, S. T., & Das, N. J. (1/1/2008). Firaaq, Percept Picture Company. Toronto International Film Festival.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/17331 - Kothari, S. T. (1/1/2008). A Thousand Apologies: 6-part Asian Sketch Comedy Television Series [video for broadcast], TV-3.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/17334 - Kothari, S. T. (5/9/2007). Coffee & Allah. Nomadz Unlimited, New Zealand Film Commission.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/17333
Contact details
- +64 9 923 7324
- +64.9.923.7324
- s.kothari@auckland.ac.nz
- Media Contact
Primary location
HSB - EAST - Bldg 201E
10 SYMONDS ST
AUCKLAND 1010
New Zealand