Bios

Gitanjali Kapila, Writer/Director/Producer

Gitanjali completed Columbia University’s graduate film program in 1999 with a concentration in writing and directing.  Her thesis film, Sculpture 1, played to critical acclaim at several festivals in the US and in Europe in 2000.  That same year she moved to Denmark where she had the opportunity to work in both tv and film.  In 2002 she directed segments for a 6-part series documentary on new parents which premiered on national Danish television in March 2003.  Also in 2003 she received a highly competitive production grant from the Danish Film Institute to make an experimental narrative short film, Weaning, which she wrote, directed and co-produced.  The film premiered in Copenhagen and has gone on to screen at the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, in competition; Women in the Director’s Chair, Chicago; Chicks with Flicks Film Festival, New York, where it won best film; San Diego Girl Film Festival, where it won a jury award; Seattle International Film Festival; and Female Eye Film Festival, Canada where it was nominated for best short film. In the fall of 2004 Gitanjali was selected as an Honoree for the IFP/New York Project Involve Program where she won the pitch competition for her feature length film, The Mythical Gun.  She is in development on the feature length script, Stornoway (original title Double Happiness) which was produced as a staged reading by Chicago ScriptWorks and Silk Road Theatre Project in June 2006. Gitanjali's first foray into playwrighting, a one-act called Two Sides of Suicide, ran in March 2008 in Chicago as part of Remy Bumppo's Think Tank Project. She speaks fluent French, Danish and Hindi.

Claire Connelly, Producer

Claire has worked as an independent producer in the Midwest since 2000. She is currently producing the feature film Stornoway which will shoot in 2009, and she has produced several commercials and short films, including The Swing,, The 5:22 and Little Kat Blue. Claire recently finished working as the Assistant Coordinator on the Chicago unit of The Dark Knight, the second chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman series. Her feature film experience includes production managing 5-25-77 and Under the City, coordinating Death of a President, Bad Meat and Cup of My Blood, as well as coordinating the wardrobe department on the upcoming David Goyer project The Unborn and major studio movies Stranger Than Fiction (starring Will Ferrell, directed by Marc Forster) and The Weatherman (starring Nicholas Cage, directed by Gore Verbinski). Claire coordinated the very first IFP/Midwest Production Fund Winner, The Third Rail in 2000 and line produced the 2003 winner, King of the Tango. Claire currently serves as president of the IFP/Midwest board of directors and as a board member for the Illinois Production Alliance.

Kant Desai, Business Development/Producer

Kant brings experience from the economic and financial worlds as well as from Chicago’s vibrant theater scene to Flicksa.  He is currently a staff Economist for RCF Economic & Financial Consulting based in Chicago.  Kant is also working with Chicago's Silk Road Theatre Project, assisting with the marketing of their current fall production, Shishir Kurup's Merchant On Venice.  He will be producing a South Asian Solo Performance Festival for Silk Road Theatre Project slated for the 2008-2009 Season.  In addition, Kant will be co-producing (with Gitanjali Kapila) a South Asian version of The Vagina Monlogues called Yoni Ki Baat for Chicago-based Rasaka Theatre Company.  He holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Economics from the University of Chicago.

Elizabeth Shaler dos Santos, Music Supervisor/Producer

Elizabeth is a composer, performer, producer, and educator, specializing in jazz, world music, vocal music, pop, and new music.  Her work has been featured on the Sundance Channel and Nickelodeon, as well on the records of Brian Woodbury and Chris Rael.  Elizabeth has performed in various venues throughout the greater New York area, including the Knitting Factory, the 55 Bar, and the Cornelia Street Café.  She was a member of choreographer/director Rosanna Gamson’s company and was the Musical Director for the late playwright/director Reza Abdoh.  In addition, she developed and taught music workshops to recovering substance abusers with mental illness, with several students going on to perform at the Apollo, as well as lead their own vocal groups and choirs.  Currently the leader of the jazz/fusion ensemble Baiacu as well as a member of the jazz vocal group, the Lance Hayward Singers. Elizabeth is fluent in Portuguese.