Anuradha Rana

Anuradha Rana is an independent filmmaker, program leader, and educator who has produced and directed award-winning films internationally. Born and raised in India, her immigrant roots create the lens of a curious interloper at the heart of her films, where everyday characters push conventional boundaries. Her work has been supported by Kartemquin Films, Tribeca Film Network, If/Then, PBS, DOC NYC, IL Arts Council, Chicago’s DCASE, CAAM, American Insitute for Indian Studies, Chicago International Film Festival, Full Spectrum Features, and Depaul Humanities Center. Anuradha is a Professor at DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts and on the steering committee for the Asian American Doc Network (A-DOC). She has been named one of Chicago’s 50 Screen Gems, a DCASE esteemed artist, DOC NYC’s Documentary New Leader, part of the ArtEquity BIPOC Leadership circle, and most recently, a Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellow 2024. As part of her work as a mentor and program leader, Anuradha was formerly the Creative Lead for the Diverse Voices in Docs fellowship organized by Kartemquin Films and the Community Film Workshop of Chicago (CFW) where she designed and led the annual mentorship and film development program for BIPOC documentary filmmakers. She has been invited to lead pitch development and coaching workshops for the Blackstar Film Festival, Center for Asian American Media, and the If/Then mentorship program. She regularly serves on film festival jury and grant review panels internationally including the IDA, Sundance, CAAM, and NEA. She is the Director of DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts, a Vincent de Paul Professor in Film, and an Excellence in Teaching Award recipient.