Key Points

Guneet Monga Kapoor led WIF India, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival with the launch of its first initiative -- a fellowship for female producers, including Tillotama Shome.

Women in Film India (WIF India), the newly launched chapter of the global Women in Film network, made its official debut this month under the leadership of Academy Award-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor.

The organisation marked its launch with the unveiling of its official website, signalling the beginning of several upcoming programs that WIF India will roll out in the future.

The first initiative kicked off at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival -- a special program spotlighting three women producers from India.

The website is now accessible to the public, who can join by registering for membership to keep themselves updated on upcoming initiatives and other resources.

Backed by Women In Film Los Angeles (WIF LA), WIF India joins a global coalition of over 50 chapters across six continents working to advance gender equity in the entertainment industry.

The launch signals a major milestone for India's creative community and builds on decades of international advocacy for representation in film, television, and media.

"With WIF India, we're putting real structure behind the idea of equality - mentorship, access, and leadership pathways. This launch is just the beginning of a long term commitment in investing in women not just for today, but for the future of the Indian entertainment industry." said Guneet Monga Kapoor, Founder of WIF India, as quoted in the press note by WIF India.

To commemorate its debut, WIF India is introducing The Women in Film India Fellowship: Cannes Producers Edition, a flagship program designed to elevate mid-career women producers by providing them with access to the Producers Network at the Marche du Film at Cannes, an influential forum for global collaboration in cinema.

This year's inaugural scholarship recipients are:

Tillotama Shome - Acclaimed award award-winning actor and emerging producer known for her iconic roles in films like Sir, Lust Stories 2 and has recently become a producer with a Bengali feature film, Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox)

Rucha Pathak - A veteran studio executive and creative producer, having worked on films like Paan Singh Tomar, Neerja, Barfi and most recently Madgaon Express.

Dimpy Agarwal - independent producer known for socially conscious storytelling, who is also a co-producer on Baksho Bondi and has worked on award-winning films like 'Chashma', 'Umeed', and 'Monica O My Darling'.

Additionally, in a special initiative under this program, WIF India has also awarded an Accreditation Grant to an outstanding woman producer from the Marathi film industry -- Shefali Bhushan, whose film 'Sthal' is being showcased at the Cannes Film Market.

As per the press note, the program offers recipients insight into international co-production and financing landscapes, as well as mentorship and networking at a global scale.

Participants are also encouraged to share their learnings with the broader WIF India community, expanding the reach of the program beyond the festival.

WIF India is governed by a distinguished Board of Directors representing all facets of India's film and media ecosystem, including: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Karan Johar, Faye D'Souza, Anupama Chopra, Tahira Kashyap, Gauri Shinde, Nikhil Advani, Jyoti Deshpande, Gayatri Yadav, Aparna Purohit, Varun Grover, Kanika Dhillon, Vani Tripathi, Miriam Joseph, Ekta Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, and Guneet Monga Kapoor.

- ANI