“The most gratifying part of running this publication is that unique and immensely talented people connect with me”, writes Vinta Nanda. “One of the most extraordinary among them is Debasmita Dasgupta”.

Debasmita Dasgupta, originally from Kolkata, is now a London-based award-winning Indian film producer, graphic novelist, and screenwriter. She is also a recent Producing Fellow of Produire au Sud (PAS) South-Asia Film Lab under the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France.

In a career spanning over a decade, she has written and produced international short films and a significant number of documentaries to narrate stories of under-represented communities working with agencies such as the United Nations and the European Commission.

Her debut feature BEFORE LIFE AFTER DEATH was acquired by Netflix Asia Pacific. The film is about a rebellious female student and a reticent middle-aged gynaecologist when they strike up an unlikely bond rooted in mutual comfort as they each confront a life-altering incident. Anshul Tiwari, the director of the film, is a London-based Indian-origin film director, screenwriter, and film editor. A British Indie Film Awards (BIFA) Springboard fellow, he has created two feature films, five award-winning short fiction films, and nearly fifty documentary short films. BEFORE LIFE AFTER DEATH, Debasmita and Anshul's latest collaboration, was selected at the Singapore International Film Festival 2022.

Debasmita’s second feature BAYAAR (English title DUST AND THE WIND), is currently under post-production.

An advocate for BIPOC (person of colour) rights in media and arts, Debasmita's visual stories, including her latest graphic novel TERMINAL3. have been published by Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Scholastic to name a few. Her illustrated animation work has been showcased by the StoryCentre NYC, and the Raindance Film Fest in the UK and Canada.

She tells stories of change-makers from around the world, partnering with global non-profits such as the StoryCentre in NYC and Positive Negatives in the UK. Her art has been exhibited around the world and more than 40 international media outlets have featured it. Partnering with international literature festivals, global international schools and national book councils, she mentors aspiring and emerging picture book artists in the world.  

Out here I have a conversation with her over a few days of exchange of emails, and I’m turning this over to all that she tells me.

Originally from Kolkata, now a London-based award-winning Indian film producer, graphic novelist, and screenwriter. Also, a recent Producing Fellow of Produire au Sud (PAS) South-Asia Film Lab under the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France. Tell me about all of this and what has driven you to this path.

It all started with my parents. My father was a theatre director and actor, and my mother was into teaching and writing. My favourite pastime was seeing my father rehearsing with his co-actors in Kolkata. My parents selected a school for me that was founded by some incredibly talented minds including Satyajit Ray and Utpal Dutt. It was a school where both EQ and IQ were given equal importance. I was always very fond of comics. My mother and I used to read them together. We had our favourite characters. My love for comics and graphic novels never stopped, and instead as I grew older, I was fascinated by the works of artists like Paco Roca, Cyril Pedrosa, Shaun Tan, Marjane Satrapi, and much more. So, it felt natural for me to become a visual storyteller.

This year, I have two graphic novels coming up, both written and illustrated by me — “Faiza is a Fighter” is about a girl from a Himalayan village who aspires to become a boxing champion inspired by Mary Kom (to be published by Soaring Kite Books in the USA, distributed by Lerner Books), and “ZardoZi stitched with love” questions the stereotypical definition of “gender” and “masculinity” through the eyes of 11-year-old Zi, living in Kolkata (to be published by HarperCollins India).

You've worked with agencies like the United Nations and the European Commission, also written a lot - how did all of this happen?

After post-graduating in international relations/development communications, I started my career working with grassroots organisations on various issues including, community radio programme in Karnataka, gender rights and campaigning against child trafficking in West Bengal, and non-formal education in Mumbai and Pune. Later I joined Oxfam in New Delhi as a communications manager and worked on several other issues including climate change, and disaster preparedness and response.

Eventually, I also worked with the UNFAO in Delhi and handled EC projects across Asia and Europe when I was posted in Singapore. During this time, I had the opportunity to work with international governments and global development agencies to create and implement platforms of dialogue on culture, heritage, education, media policies, public health, and more.

Tell me a little about BEFORE LIFE AFTER DEATH BAYAAR (English title DUST AND THE WIND) from your perspective as a producer and the creative force.

Cinema is a collaborative medium. It’s always teamwork, where each team member plays an integral role. As the producer, I see my job is to find the right people and bring them together. My background in communications certainly comes handy.

Producing is a combination of creativity and business. And, I LOVE that equilibrium. Filmmaking involves a lot of money, and fundraising is often a constraint in indie filmmaking. Therefore, patience is a virtue. I was never trained as a producer and I don’t even come from any film producers’ family. So, I only try. Sometimes I succeed, and often I fail, but every time I learn. That has helped me so far.

You're an advocate for BIPOC (person of colour) rights in media and arts, and your visual stories including the latest graphic novel TERMINAL3 have been published by Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Scholastic. Your illustrated animation work has been showcased by the StoryCentre NYC, and the Raindance Film Fest in the UK & Canada. How do you pack in and be so much as a multi-talented individual? How did you hone so many talents simultaneously?

I admire plurality of any form! To me, all these disciplines are connected. As a visual storyteller, I always want to tell stories with images. The format and audience can be different, but ultimately, they are all stories. Stories that inspire me. Stories that resonate with my identity.

Once I wrote these lines that would perhaps explain this point a little better — “Who am I? An artist, a woman, a woman of colour, Indian, south-Asian, international, a daughter, a wife, a Hindu, spiritual, politically conscious, strong, fragile, a deeply rooted individual or a nomad? Often these questions invade my thoughts and my artistic expressions as I wonder — is there really a definitive answer to these questions? Or is there a need at all to draw lines between these individual identities? Deeper I dive into these ideas, the more I realise that I have a collective identity. I am made of contrasts!”

Reading about you is impressive - I want to know how you pack in all of this I gathered about you: You tell stories of change-makers from around the world partnering with global non-profits such as the StoryCentre in NYC and Positive Negatives in the UK. Your art has been exhibited around the world and more than 40 international media outlets have featured it. You partner with international literature festivals, global international schools and national book councils, and mentor aspiring and emerging picture book artists in the world.

The simplest answer is I enjoy playing each role :) And the roles complement each other. They make me happy. And, happiness is a habit! I try to find little ways to practise happiness every day. In the end, there are so many incredible humans who have inspired me in so many ways. When I see their body of work, I feel like I have a long way to go. And then, I am reminded of the story this Kailash Satyarthi ji shared during his Nobel peace prize ceremony: 

One day, there was a fire in the forest. All animals started to run away just when the lion spotted a little bird flying towards the fire.

The lion stopped the bird and asked, ‘What are you doing? Can’t you see there is a fire?’

The bird said, ‘I am carrying a drop of water in my beak to extinguish the fire”’.  

Lion: “you must be crazy! Your drop of water won’t stop the fire.”

The little bird replied: “I am just doing my bit.”

Wishing Debasmita Dasgupta, the very best for her latest film and the one that’s upcoming as well.

She has a long way to go, no doubt, but she has also come a long, long way already…