Gujarati filmmaker Pan Nalin joins European Film Academy

He is the first film director of Indian origin to receive the honor.

Filmmaker Pan Nalin. / Instagram

Acclaimed Indian filmmaker from Gujarat Pan Nalin has been inducted into the European Film Academy (EFA), becoming the first film director of Indian origin to receive the honor. The announcement was made on May 9, Europe Day, when the Academy revealed a record 770 new members from 52 countries.

Nalin, whose full name is Nalin Kumar Pandya, is known for directing internationally celebrated films such as Samsara (2001), Valley of Flowers (2006), Angry Indian Goddesses (2015), and the semi-autobiographical Chhello Show, which was India’s official entry to the Oscars in 2022.

Speaking from Italy, where he is currently shooting his new feature film, Nalin said: “I am honored and overwhelmed beyond words to receive this invitation to the European Film Academy. As we all know Cinema was born in Europe followed by many waves and innovations; Italian Neorealism, German Expressionism, French New Wave and many more films that change the global cinema forever. So this is an immense matter of bliss and blessing as what I do in my solitude continues to echo in multitude. Thank you EFA.”

According to the Academy, of the new inductees, 51 percent are men, 48 percent women, and 1 percent identify as non-binary.

Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and director of the European Film Academy, along with Viviane Gajewski, welcomed Nalin in a joint statement: “Today, on Europe Day, we are delighted to officially welcome Pan Nalin as a registered member of the European Film Academy. Together with over 5,400 other long-standing and distinguished members, now he is part of an important community of filmmakers in Europe.”

The European Film Academy was founded in 1989, following the first European Film Awards in 1988. Its founding members included prominent filmmakers led by Ingmar Bergman. The Academy has since been presided over by notable figures like Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, and currently, Juliette Binoche.

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