Director, Screenwriter, Producer
Dev Benegal’s first feature English, August (1994) ignited the next generation of Indian cinema and is acknowledged as a landmark film in contemporary Indian cinema.
His second feature Split Wide Open (1999) premiered at the Venice International Film Festival.
Both international and national award-winning projects were the first Indian films to be distributed by 20th Century Fox and played at more than 30 international festivals worldwide
His feature film script, Road, Movie was selected for the prestigious Atelier du Cannes at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Once produced, by Ross Katz (LOST IN TRANSLATION) and Susan B. Landau (AN IDEAL HUSBAND), it was the first Hindi language filmed to be distributed worldwide by Fortissimo Films (2010) and was one of the first features to be distributed in the US by Robert De Niro & Jane Rosenthal’s Tribeca Films. Before it played at the NY festival, the film premiered at Toronto and was the Opening Night film at the Generation Plus section at the Berlin International Film Festival.
In addition to his directing career, Benegal is acknowledged as a pioneer in digital technology – having created 24×7 Making Movies, he has produced over 60 short feature films. The films (where anyone under 24 is invited to make a short film in 24 hours), have been acclaimed by Cannes and the Hollywood trade publication Variety.
Dev Benegal’s work represents modern Indian cinema which is distinct from the realist or popular traditions of Indian cinema. The strength of his films has been their humor, his characters and his unique style combining Indian narrative and western genre.