After 20 years of being a screenwriter and a still photographer, Little Zizou is Sooni Taraporevala’s directorial debut.

Born in 1957 and raised in Bombay, India, a scholarship took her to Harvard University in 1979 where she studied English Literature, Film, Photography. After completing her graduate work in Cinema Studies from New York University she returned to India to work as a freelance still photographer. Her photographs were exhibited in India, the United States, France, and Britain.

In 1988, with the success of her first screenplay Salaam Bombay! she found herself with a screenwriting career. She lived in Los Angeles, wrote screenplays for a variety of directors, producers, studios, before moving back to India in 1993.

In 2000 she published a book of her photographs PARSIS: The Zoroastrians of India - A Photographic Journey. A second edition was published by Overlook Press, NY in 2004 and is currently in print.

She lives in Bombay with her husband and two children.

www.soonitaraporevala.com

FILMOGRAPHY

2008: Little Zizou: Feature: Written & Directed by Sooni Taraporevala

2006 : The Namesake : Feature: Directed by Mira Nair, Based on the book by Jhumpa Lahiri, Screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala

1999: Such A Long Journey: Feature: Directed by Sturla Gunnarson, Based on the book by Rohinton Mistry, Screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala

Genie nomination, Best Screenplay, The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television,1999.

1999: Dr.Babsaheb Ambedkar: Feature: Directed by Jabbar Patel, Screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala, Arun Sadhu, Daya Pawar

1998: My Own Country: Feature: Directed by Mira Nair, Based on the book by Dr.Abraham Verghese, Screenplay by Jim Leonard Jr. and Sooni Taraporevala

Shine nomination, Best Screenplay, Los Angeles, 1999

1991: Mississippi Masala: Feature: Directed by Mira Nair, Written by Sooni Taraporevala.

Osella Award, Best Story & Screenplay, Venice Film Festival, Italy, 1991.

1988: Salaam Bombay! : Feature: Directed by Mira Nair, Story by Mira Nair and Sooni Taraporevala, Screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala

Lillian Gish Award, Excellence in Film, Women in Film, Los Angeles, 1988.

Over the last 20 years, Dinaz Stafford has been working in film and as an executive trustee for Salaam Baalak Trust – Mumbai working with street children.

In 2004 Dinaz made an award winning feature documentary Still the Children are Here which won the Seoul International Green Festival prize for excellence and was a Silver Award winner for Broadcast Design. Her short film, Kisses on a Train (1993) won the Grand Prix at Clermont Ferrand and the Prix du Public at the Geneva Film festival.

Her association with Mira Nair began as an Assistant Director with Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala and as an Associate Producer for The Perez Family (1995), Kamasutra-A Tale of Love (1996), Vanity Fair (2004) and most recently The Namesake (2006).

She has also worked with John Sayles as a Casting associate on Sunshine State (2002) and on various television programmes and documentaries for television.

Dinaz was born in London, educated in Bombay, did a Master’s in Psychology at Richmond Virginia and now lives in Mumbai.

Little Zizou is Dinaz’ first feature film as a Producer.

www.dinazstafford.com

Born on 25th December 1957 Vandana did her schooling and senior education in Delhi. She’s a History Honours Graduate in Arts from The Lady Shree Ram College. Her television career began in 1992 as Editorial Coordinator with Business India Television.

Through the 1990’s she was the face of Television 18 for most of the Entertainment television channels based in Bombay. As both Executive Producer and Bombay Bureau Chief Vandana worked back stage and front stage to ensure that TV 18 remains among the premier television software production companies in India.

In February 2000, Television 18 debuted on the Bombay Stock Exchange at a fantastic premium. Soon thereafter Vandana was appointed as a Director on the board of TV 18 which is now Network 18.

In May 2006 she joined the team of Studio 18/The Indian Film Company in the capacity as a Creative Director for the Network 18’s foray into Feature Film Production- Something she is truly passionate about. Right from her childhood Vandana has been a voracious watcher of Hindi films; starting from the 60’s when she would drag her Grand mother to the theatre to watch almost every film that released to date she watches the film First day Last show... first show is too early.

She along with the rest of the top management of the Network plays the role of a Friend, Philosopher and Guide to all her young colleagues and also the role of an advisor / mentor for all the various different Channels/companies under the Network 18 umbrella … be COLORS the new entertainment channel that Viacom 18 in launching or Web 18 she is always there to extend her support to the team and is now focussed on creating shareholder wealth and propelling the company to a bright future.

At Studio 18, Vandana has been the guiding force behind the company’s forthcoming releases:

• Little Zizou
• Fruit n Nut
• Dil Kabaddi
• King Kaun
• Sanjay Ghadvi’s untitled film
• Abbas Tyrewalal’s untitled film

In her capacity as Creative Director, Vandana is involved in the entire creative supervision of the films and brings her keen sense of story-telling to the fore.