The Team

Taira is a writer, director and producer from Goa, India. She tells deeply moving character-driven stories exploring relationships between people and the natural world. Her films are developed alongside on-ground impact campaigns to address the social justice and environmental issues central to the film. Taira received a B.A. in Psychology in 2013 from Occidental College, where her focus was on fostering empathy in youth. Since then, she has written and directed several award-winning short films.

Krish Makhija is a cinematographer and independent producer from Bombay, India. Formally educated in economics, he picked up the camera when he was 18 years old to start documenting the chaotic world around him. His love for stills soon lead him to being an assistant director on television commercials, branded content and feature films. He was a cinematographer for 'The Elephant Whisperers,' which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards, making it the first Indian film to win an Academy Award in that category at the Oscars.

Four films, three short stories, one web series, six Filmfare awards, an Emmy nomination (Made In Heaven, 2019), a NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film (Gully Boy, 2019), a world premiere at both Festival de Cannes and Berlinale, and India's official entry to the Oscars outlines Zoya Akhtar's unique ability to tell stories that break the conventional norms, creating waves globally as a writer, director, and producer. Her fifth film, The Archies, is set to release on Netflix later this year.

Reema Kagti is one of the most dynamic working talents in Indian cinema, with a singular voice as an artist, screenwriter, and filmmaker. Honeymoon Travels Private Limited (2007), Talaash (2012), and the historic sports drama Gold (2018) were highly acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. Her upcoming series Dahaad, is the first ever Indian series to premiere at Berlinale.

Angad is the Chief Executive Officer at Tiger Baby and has produced a range of series' for streaming platforms including Netflix's Eternally Confused and Eager For Love (2022). He is currently producing the upcoming Tiger Baby films The Archies and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.

Vikram dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, but eventually chose to pursue a BE in Computer Engineering from Duke University. He spent a number of years working with startup software companies in Silicon valley before returning to India to manage Vulcan Engineers. Later, he co-founded Capsilon Technologies and managed its India operations. Today he focuses on managing and mentoring the Vulcan Group's India investments in IT, Real Estate, Hospitality, Media/Films, and Health Beverages.

For 15 years, Isabelle has produced several award-winning documentaries for TV and the big screen, as well as one feature, Antigone from Sophie Deraspe, which toured the international festival circuit and was Canada’s 2020 Oscar contender for the Best International Film category.

James was the co-director of the Oscar and BAFTA-winning feature documentary My Octopus Teacher (2015). He has produced, written and directed numerous other natural history programmes including Jago: A Life Underwater (2015), which won a Grand Teton Award, and Rise of the Warrior Apes (2015), which was awarded a Golden Panda Award.

Sam is an award-winning editor who has cut for TV, streaming platforms, and theatrical films. He has worked on a wide variety of projects for both the UK and international markets ranging from Natural History blockbusters, such as Hostile Planet (2019, National Geographic), A Perfect Planet (2021, BBC1) and Green Planet (2022, BBC1) to feature-docs, like Jago (2015, Underdog Films), Rise of the Warrior Apes (2017, Discovery) and more.

Emmy 2022 and RTS winning composer, Nainita Desai, won the World Soundtrack Awards in 2021 for Discovery of the Year. As well as being a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, double BIFA, Cinema Eye Honors, Ivor Novello nominee, Nainita won the Women In Film & TV Award for Creative Technology 2022. Some of her recent projects include Oscar nominated and BAFTA and Cannes winning feature documentary For Sama (2019), Sundance and BIFA winning feature The Reason | Jump (2020).

EMMY award-winning composer Sheridan Tongue is internationally acclaimed for his dramatic soundtracks for TV drama, films, and documentaries worldwide. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Sheridan has scored some of UK television’s most prestigious drama series including 12 series of Silent Witness, 5 series of DCI Banks as well as Spooks and Sea of Souls. In 2021 he picked up a prestigious Emmy for his work on the quirky film The Last Artifact that featured scientists from all over the planet searching for a new way to redefine the Kilogram, for Montana PBS.

Ayush is a sound recordist and sound designer that has worked in various roles from sound supervision for dialog and foley, to sound effects for editing and recording. He has worked on a number of feature films, documentaries and commercials including Gully Boy (2019), Gold (2018), and Vice and Netflix’s Indian Predator series (2022). Apart from film, Ayush has also been sound recording and mixing with Sony Gold’s award winning director, John Dryden, for Radio 4.

Founder of The Yellow Color, Marco Amaral has closely collaborated with some of the world’s best filmmakers on more than 150 movies over the past 10 years. His highly esteemed color grading work has been exhibited at all of the biggest film festivals including Cannes, Berlinale, and SXSW for films like Les Ponts De Sarajevo (Bridges of Sarajevo, 2014) and Mato Seco Em Chamas (Dry Ground Burning, 2022).

Mohit started out on his journey as a filmmaker in 2017 in Auroville, an experimental township in South India, where he was spellbound by the ideas of sustainability and social impact. Mohit has worked with agencies such as OML and WATconsult in Mumbai and directed videos for organizations like ecofemme, The Real Elephant Collective, Keystone Foundation, and the Timbaktu Collective.He was one of the co-directors on the short documentary film, ``Made in Madras`` that won the People's Choice Award and Overcoming Obstacles Award at the 2019 MyHero International Film Festival in L.A.

Nikita Mamik is a producer from India. Formally educated in Music management and Mass Media Communications from AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand, she has more than 10 years of experience in video and television production. Nikita has produced, assisted, and co-directed numerous short films, television commercials, branded content, and music videos in India.

Saif started his creative pursuit in 2013 with a zeal to tell stories which inspire and impact. He got his head start while studying and working in dramatics productions. Officially kicking off his journey in 2015, and to date, he has produced various film and creative projects. Some names include National Geographic India, Vice Media, British Council, etc. Saif has also served as a festival programmer from 2016-2019.

Jill is from Bothell, WA. She has a Master in Peace Studies from the Kroc Institue of Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego with a specialization in Human Rights and Development with a sub-focus in Environmental Issues that relate to the two regionally specific to India. For the last 8 years, she has been working as a start-up consultant to help people make their ideas a reality.

In pursuit of a life in nature, Marishia studied Wildlife Biology and Conservation at NCBS. During her thesis, she saw firsthand the impacts of the pandemic on people and natural spaces alike and decided that the social impact sector, which didn't just focus on nature but people and society as well, was her calling. Marine animals, especially turtles, have always amazed her and that is what drew her to this team.