Biography
Oscar Shortlist Nominee Pan Nalin is a writer, director, and producer of both fiction and non-fiction films. A self-taught filmmaker, he garnered global critical and commercial acclaim with his debut feature Samsara (Miramax/Disney).
His latest film, Last Film Show (Chhello Show), was India’s official submission to the 95th Academy Awards and earned a shortlist nomination for Best International Feature Film.
Pan Nalin’s new project, Satori Trilogy, a high-octane action-adventure epic about an Asian superhero, has recently been optioned by Lucas Foster (known for Ford v Ferrari, Law Abiding Citizen, Jumper, Man on Fire, Mr. & Mrs. Smith). Currently in development, Foster is attached as producer.
Known as a versatile auteur, Pan Nalin adapts across genres and languages, having made films in English, French, Hindi, Gujarati, Japanese, and Tibetan.
Last Film Show (Samuel Goldwyn Films / Shochiku) won Best Picture, the Golden Spike, at the 66th Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci) 2021 in Spain, was the first runner-up for the Audience Choice Award at the Tribeca Film Festival 2021, and received the Audience Favorite Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival. It also won The Snow Leopard for Best Picture at Los Angeles’s Asia World Film Festival and is currently being released theatrically worldwide.
Pan Nalin earned the Audience Choice Award First-Runner-up for Angry Indian Goddesses (Netflix / Mongrel International) at the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the Prix du Public at the Rome Film Festival. Angry Indian Goddesses has since been released theatrically in 40 countries and is now streaming globally on Netflix.
Born in a remote village near Gir Forest, Gujarat, Pan Nalin left home early to pursue filmmaking. He studied Fine Arts at M.S. University of Baroda, where he adopted the pseudonym “Pan Nalin.” A year later, he enrolled at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad to study Design. There, he discovered cinema beyond Bollywood, experienced Hollywood films for the first time, and managed NID’s film club, programming movies from around the world. He was among the first students in the city to write about and promote cinema movements such as the French New Wave, Italian Neo-Realism, German Expressionism, American Indies, and Hollywood classics. While at NID, he began creating film clips using 16mm and 8mm cameras and worked as a videographer for Indian weddings to support his filmmaking passion.
After graduating from NID, Nalin moved to Mumbai, producing TV commercials and corporate films. Combining his love of travel with filmmaking, he started directing documentaries for BBC, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Canal Plus, and other major international networks. His award-winning feature documentary Ayurveda: Art of Being (Kino / Pandora) enjoyed worldwide theatrical release and success.
Securing creative freedom for a debut feature was nearly impossible within the Indian film industry structure. Nalin traveled globally seeking funding for Samsara. After seven years of struggle, during which he was broke and homeless, he met legendary producer Karl Baumgartner, who loved the screenplay. Within a year, Samsara was produced as a German-French-Italian-Indian co-production by Baumgartner’s company Pandora Film.
Samsara premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Harvey Weinstein acquired it for Miramax on the same day. Additionally, 40 other countries acquired the film within that week. Samsara became a major critical and commercial success worldwide, winning numerous international awards and remaining the highest-grossing Indian independent film to date.
Following Samsara, Nalin created Valley of Flowers, the first India-Japan-France-Germany co-production. This “Eastern” epic love story with an Asian soul became an underground cult hit with critical and commercial success worldwide. Valley of Flowers (TF1 International) won Best Picture at IFFLA Los Angeles and received four nominations at IAAC New York, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Nalin’s feature documentary Faith Connections was an official selection at Toronto, won the Audience Choice Award at IFFLA Los Angeles, and saw worldwide theatrical release.
His tragi-comedy screenplay Slightly Sane won the CJ Entertainment Award for Best International Project at the Asia Film Market in Busan, South Korea.
Recently, Nalin completed The Disappearance of Eva Hansen, a spiritual thriller set in the Himalayas. This New Zealand-India co-production stars David Wenham and Emmanuelle Béart.
Currently, Pan Nalin is developing English-language features and series with the Gotham Group in Los Angeles.
Upcoming projects include the epic biopic Buddha: The Warrior Within and Greeks, a multi-season drama TV series developed with producer Fred Fuchs. Nalin is also scripting Codename: Madeleine, a Paris-based spy thriller inspired by the true story of Noor Inayat Khan during World War II.
Pan Nalin has served as a jury member at numerous international film festivals and frequently participates in seminars, panel discussions, and conclaves. He also conducts masterclasses on film direction and screenwriting.
He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars), inducted into the prestigious Directors Branch in 2022. Additionally, he holds membership in the European Film Academy and the French Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema (Césars) within their esteemed Directors wing.
