Chaturanga, based on the book by
Rabindranath Tagore, is Suman Mukhopadhyay's second feature
film. Chaturanga is screened at 36 National and
International festivals. The film received Gran Prix at
Bridgefest, Sarajevo; Best Director at Philadelphia
Independent Film Festival and Golden Palm at Mexico
International Film Festival. In 2005, Suman completed his
first feature film, Herbert, based on a novel by
Nabarun Bhattacharya. The film got the National award for
Best Regional Film. He is also conferred with awards like
the Most Promising Director (BFJA), Best Debut Director (Lankesh
Award) and Audience Award in Dhaka International Film
Festival. The film has been screened in number of national
and international film festivals including Cannes; Florence;
Bangkok; Osian Cinefan; Zanzibar; Mumbai, Pune and Kerala.
Suman has done his film training from New York Film Academy,
USA.
He has also done theatre productions
ranging from European drama to major adaptations of Bengali
masterpieces. Among which are Teesta Paarer Brittanto and
Samay Asamayer Brittanto, adapted from the novels by
Debesh Roy and Mephisto, based on Klaus Mann's German
novel. Teesta has become one of the most celebrated
productions of the Bengali stage. He has also staged
Rabindranath's Raktakarabi; Falguni-Prelude,
Shakespeare/Brecht's Coriolanus and Sudraka's The
Little Clay Cart. He directed The Man of the Heart
(Life and times of Lalon Fokir) at the University of
California, Berkeley and Girish Karnad's Nagamandala
at the Department of Theatre, Kalamazoo College, Michigan.
This year he directed Fireface, a play by Marius Von
Mayenburg with Goethe Institut.
CHATURANGA
FILM FESTIVAL
Gran Prix , Bridegefest, Sarajevo
Best Director, Philadelphia Independent Film
Festival
Golden Palm, Mexico International Film Festival
2005
BEST BENGALI FEATURE FILM, NATIONAL AWARDS, INDIA (HERBERT)
AUDIENCE AWARD, Dhaka International Film Festival (HERBERT)
LANKESH AWARD, Bangalore - BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR (HERBERT)
BFJA AWARD, Kolkata - MOST PROMISING DIRECTOR (HERBERT)
Montreal World Film Festival, Canada (CHATURANGA)
Sao Paolo International Film Festival, Brazil - Invited (CHATURANGA)
2007
MIT, CAMBRIDGE, USA (HERBERT)
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, USA (HERBERT)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA, USA (HERBERT)
2006
RIVER TO RIVER, FLORENCE INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL, ITALY (HERBERT)
WORLD FILM FESTIVAL, BANGKOK, THAILAND (HERBERT)
OSIAN CINEFAN, NEW DELHI (HERBERT)
ZANZIBAR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, TANZANIA (HERBERT)
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, The Marche du Film (HERBERT)
ASIA SOCIETY, NEW YORK (HERBERT)
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF MUMBAI (MAMI) -(HERBERT)
DHAKA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Dhaka, Bangladesh (HERBERT)
PUNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Pune, India (HERBERT)
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK (HERBERT)
2005
KERALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Trivandrum, India (HERBERT)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY (HERBERT)
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO (HERBERT)
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA CAMPAIGN (HERBERT)
1996
LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, London, UK (WE SHALL OVERCOME)
1995
INTERNATIONAL VIDEO FESTIVAL, Trivandrum, India. (WE SHALL OVERCOME).
AGUNMUKHO,
based on 'Feuergesicht' by Marius Von Mayenburg,
Tritiyo Sutra and Max Mueller Bhavan.
2006
RAKTAKARABI,
a play by Rabindranath Tagore, Tritiyo Sutra.
KANGAL MALSAT, Tritiyo Sutra and Chetana
2005
MAN
OF THE HEART, University of California,
Berkeley, USA NAGAMANDALA, a play by Girish Karnad.
Kalamazoo College, Michigan, USA
2003
THE
LITTLE CLAY CART (MRICHCHHAKATIKA), BY Sudraka
for the Dept. of Theatre and Films at The
University of Toledo, USA. SAMAY ASAMAYER BRITTANTO, based on a novel
by Debesh Roy, Chetana
2002
FALGUNI
: SUCHANA - a play by Rabindranath Thakur.
A JOURNEY WITH RANG NUMBER - an interactive
performance with paintings of Hiran Mitra and
actors of Chetana. MEPHISTO - from a novel by Klaus Mann. A
joint production of different theatre groups of
Kolkata.
2001
KALANTAK
LAL FITA, based on a short story by Sibram
Chakraborty.
2000
TEESTA
PAARER BRITTANTO, based on a novel by Debesh
Roy, Chetana
1999
JAISA-KA-TAISA,
an abridged version of a play by Girish Chandra
Ghose
1997
THE
MEASURES TAKEN, (English) a play by Bertolt
Brecht for the Theatre Department of Barnard
College, Columbia University, New York, USA GANTABYA, translation of the play 'Bethune'
by Rod Langley, Chetana
1992
CORIOLANUS,
a play by William Shakespeare as adapted by
Bertolt Brecht, Chetana NATIR KATHA, an adaptation of Chekhov's
'Chorus Girl' by Bibhas Chakraborty
1990
DAIN,
a play by Abhijit Sen; financially assisted by
Sangeet Natak Academy, Chetana HARIPODO HARIBOL, a play by Indrashish
Laharry JANANI, a play by Indrashish Laharry
TEESTA PAARER BRITTANTO, a drama adaptation of a novel by Debesh Roy
CORIOLANUS translation in Bengali from the original by William Shakespeare
BETHUNE translation from the original by Rod Langley)
MEPHISTO translation and adaptation from the original by Ariane Mnouchkine/Klaus
Mann
Numbers of articles and interviews published in different newspapers,
magazines, journals.
Member - Academic Council, National School of Drama
2005
Guest Acting lecturer in Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
2002
Project consultant to the production of THE MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, with the
hearing handicapped children of National Institute of Hearing Handicapped,
Hyderabad.
1996
Conducted Lecture Demonstration and Workshops with the students of Barnard
College, Columbia University, New York, USA
Part-time lecturer of Mass Communication and Television Production in
Rabindra Bharati
University, Calcutta.
Participant in the month long La Mama Umbria International Theatre Director's
Symposium, Umbria, Italy.
Guest Directors: Yuri Lyubimov, Jonas Jurasas, Jean Guy Lecat, Ola Mafaalani,
Francoise Grund, Seth Barrish,
2001
New York Film Academy, New York, USA
Diploma in film-making.
1993
Participated in the International Institute Workshop held in Munich, Germany;
as a part of the 25 WeltCongress, Des International Theatre Institutes.
1991
Training in Trinity / La Mama Performing Arts Programme; an intensive
Programme in Performing Arts and Theatre, in New York, USA
Teachers: Joseph Chaikin, Leonardo Shapiro, Ruth Maleczech, Joan Mackintosh.
