Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur will keynote the 5D/10 Conference, Oct. 7-9, Carpenter Center, California State University, Long Beach (www.5dconference.com).
Press Release from 5D Conference
Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur will keynote the 5D/10 Conference, Oct. 7-9, Carpenter Center, California State University, Long Beach (www.5dconference.com).
Kapur is one of world's most well-known film directors and one of the few directors who have worked extensively both in India's film industry (Bollywood) as well as in Hollywood. He is also deeply involved in the future of narrative media and is a thought leader on the impact of technology in new media.
Shekhar started his direction career with a Hindi film Masoom, winning 5 of the biggest film awards in India, and followed this with breakthrough science-fiction film Mr. India, now considered one of the iconic films of 1980s Indian cinema, and the critically acclaimed Bandit Queen.
He established Indian Talkies a film company with Ram Gopal Varma and Mani Ratnam, two of India's prominent directors. In 1988 the company produced a film Dil Se starring Shahrukh Khan, India's biggest star, and now considered one of the best films of Indian cinema.
In 1998, Kapur won international recognition for directing Elizabeth, for which he was Oscar nominated. The film catapulted Cate Blanchett into a major Hollywood star after her portrayal as Queen Elizabeth.
In 2000, India awarded Shekhar with its highest state honor, the Padma Shri.
More recently, he directed Heath Ledger in The Four Feathers for Paramount/Miramax based on the novel by the same name by A.E.W. Mason. Heath Ledger's performance as the British Army officer was widely acclaimed.
He executive produced the Bollywood-themed Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical Bombay Dreams, in London's West End and on Broadway.
With Richard Branson and his Virgin Group, and well-known spiritual guru and motivational author Deepak Chopra, Shekhar formed Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focused on creating new stories and characters for a global audience.
He returned to direct Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age which was nominated for 2 Oscars including Cate Blanchett for actress in a leading role, and won the Oscar for best costume design.
He is involved in the creation of a new media development fund for Singapore and sits on the board of the Media Development Authority (MDA) for the Singapore government.
He is an environmental activist with water conservation related issues, and is regularly invited to speak at the World Economic Forum. He is also on the board of the International Global Water Challenge, the world's premier body for water-related issues.
Kapur is presently involved with his passion project, Paani <http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2009/12/paani_inspirati.htm>, about the impending water wars in the world.
Shekhar speaks actively all over the world on the impact of technology on narrative media and how new media is changing the world.
