Guneet Monga
About
Guneet Monga is a film producer and the producer of the 2023 ‘Academy Award-Winning’ documentary short film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. She is known for her exceptional storytelling abilities and her commitment to highlighting social issues through her films.
She is also the founder of Sikhya Entertainment, a boutique film production house that produced notable films like Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1, Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2, Peddlers, The Lunchbox, ‘Masaan’ and many more movies.
Her first feature film as a producer was the critically acclaimed ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ directed by Anurag Kashyap.
Guneet Monga gained international recognition for her work on the film ‘The Lunchbox’ in 2013. Co-produced by her production company Sikhya Entertainment, the film received widespread acclaim and was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2014 Academy Awards. Although the film didn't receive the nomination, it brought Guneet Monga and her production company significant attention and established her as a prominent figure in the Indian film industry.
Her first major international film was the 2010 ‘Academy Award’ for ‘Best Live Action Short Film-Nominated Short’, ‘Kavi’, about bonded labour in India, directed by Gregg Helvey, and which went on to win the ‘Student Academy Award - Narrative in 2009’.
She produced ‘Monsoon Shootout’ as a co-production between India, Netherland and UK and ‘The Lunchbox’, a project shown at ‘Film Bazaar’, ‘Cinemart’, ‘Berlinale Co-Production Market’ and ‘TorinoFilmLab’.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
Guneet Monga was conferred with the ‘Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French Government in 2021.
She is the recipient of the ‘Global Media Makers Fellowship’ by Film Independent and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. In 2019, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation awarded her the prestigious ‘Sloan Science and Film Grant’.
Guneet was amongst the first producers from India to be inducted in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences where she served as an executive producer on ‘Period. End of Sentence’. Later, it won an oscar for ‘Best Documentary Short Subject’, shedding light on menstrual hygiene in rural India.
She was also voted as one of the top ‘12 Women Achievers’ in the global entertainment industry by ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ and among the top ‘50 Indians Changing India’ by ‘India Today’.
Why Guneet Monga ?
With her remarkable achievements and her passion for impactful storytelling, Guneet Monga has become a trailblazer in Indian cinema. Guneet Monga’s success as a filmmaker and producer continues to inspire aspiring filmmakers and contribute to the growth and recognition of Indian cinema on the global stage.
