Brahmanand S. Siingh


Brahmanand S. Siingh is a filmmaker and author from Mumbai, India. He is best known for the films Kaagaz Ki Kashti, a biopic on Jagjit Singh and his feature-length documentary on R. D. Burman, Pancham Unmixed: Mujhe Chalte Jaana Hai.
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Early life and education

Brahmanand S Siingh grew up in Purnia, Bihar. Later he moved to St Xavier's College Ranchi and eventually to Kolkata University for his English Literature Masters. His journeys into cinema, however, started within a year of his moving to Mumbai in 1993.

Career

Brahmanand began writing about art and cinema in the 1980s, publishing articles in publications like The Telegraph, Statesman, Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express, and The Independent. He also published online work during the dotcom boom. Brahmanand has published over 3,000 articles and features, essays, poems and short stories, as well as three biographical books, Strings Of Eternity, Diamonds & Rust and Lightness Of Being.
He began making films in the late 1990s, mainly producing biographical documentaries and independent films. He is most well known for his experiential biopics on figures like RD Burman and Jagjit Singh. "Strings of Eternity" and "Diamonds and Rust", co-authored with Gaurav Sharma, provide insights into the life, music and personality of maestro RD Burman.
Pancham Unmixed is a rare biographical documentary to have premiered at IFFLA, Los Angeles to a full house. The film also featured on Netflix and is currently streaming on iTunes. Pancham Unmixed was screened by PVR Cinemas on 24-25 Mar, 2018 in screens across the country. It also saw a rare telecast on National Geographic on 26 Dec, 2021. Kaagaz ki Kashti featured on Amazon Prime and travelled to various international film festivals.
He has also won the REX-Karmaveer-Chakra Awards, in partnership with the United Nations, for transforming lives through social impact projects and ideas of hope. Siingh's latest feature project, Jhalki, a feature film that attempts to create public awareness of child trafficking and child labor.
He has also sat on the jury of various international film festivals and award platforms, and conducts filmmaking and scriptwriting workshops.

Filmography

As a director and/or producer.
YearTitle
1997Ashgari Bai
1998A burden of Love
1999Back to Nature
2002Uncaging the Body
2005Ragpickers
2008Pancham Unmixed
2011Chidiya Rain Basera
2012Ambassador of Peace
2015Knowing Pancham
2015Through Our Eyes
2016Riding on a Sunbeam
2017Kaagaz Ki Kashti
2019Jhalki

Awards

YearAwardCategoryFor
2003Apsara Film Producers Guild AwardsBest Short FilmUncaging the Body
2008IFFLACritics Special MentionPancham Unmixed
2008Washington DC Film FestivalAudience Choice AwardPancham Unmixed
200957th National Film AwardsBest Compilation Film Pancham Unmixed
200957th National Film AwardsBest Compilation Film Pancham Unmixed
2010AIFFBest DocumentaryPancham Unmixed
2016Vancouver International South Asian Film FestivalAudience Choice AwardKaagaz Ki Kashti
2016Vancouver International South Asian Film FestivalBest Documentary AwardKaagaz Ki Kashti
2019International Screen Awards Platinum Award for International Feature FilmJhalki
2019Washington DC South Asian Film Festival Best Director AwardJhalki
2019Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati Best Feature Film AwardJhalki
2019Indian International Film Festival Of Boston Best Social Cause Film AwardJhalki
2019International Independent Film Awards Los Angeles Best Concept Platinum WinnersJhalki
2019International Independent Film Awards Los Angeles Best Screenplay Platinum WinnersJhalki
2019Boston International Film Festival Best Original Screenplay AwardJhalki
2019REX-Karmaveer-ChakraKarmaveer Chakra AwardN/A