Prerana Thakudesai steers Ghumantu Pictures’ maiden production that’s getting glowing advance praise from Hollywood’s big names
After working on award-winning international and multilingual media productions across the world, former Indian journalist & independent filmmaker, Prerana Thakurdesai, launches her own film production company – Ghumantu Pictures. The New York based company will specialize in creating art that elevates innovation in filmmaking, undiscovered ideas and culturally authentic storytelling.
The title of the company alludes to Prerana’s nomadic and colorful childhood as an armed services kid, and her passion of unveiling stories from nooks and corners of the world as a journalist and filmmaker. At a time when Indian documentaries are gaining international attention, Ghumantu Pictures aims to be the creator that bridges the gap between India and the rest of the world through the power of art that intersects with transcontinental ideas. “This moment of exploration is here to stay. We will continue to explore each other’s lives, cultures and minds. Ghumantu Pictures will be a collaborative and equitable vehicle that aims to go deeper into finding meaning and linking it to entertainment,” says Prerana.
The just launched production company has already lined up its first co-production due to premiere in summer 2023.
The Last Ecstatic Days is a transformative feature documentary film about conscious dying, set in Asheville, North Carolina. The film traces the journey of a young dying man named Ethan Sisser who uses viral social media posts to manifest an incredible death care community in real life led by an Indian American doctor. Directed by Scott Kirschenbaum, The Last Ecstatic Days is executive produced by David Seidler, Oscar-winning writer of The King’s Speech; Tommy Pallotta, Emmy Award-winning producer of Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly, and Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood; Dr. Jessica Zitter, palliative care expert, New York Times writer and the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary Extremis; & boasts of original soundtrack by Grammy & Golden Globe-winning composer, Alex Ebert.
