Kochi filmmaker joins NY Film Festival’s Artists Academy

Dias is among 12 emerging filmmakers from across the world chosen for the programme, which will be held during the festival from September 25 to October 12 in New York. The Artists Academy offers early-career filmmakers an opportunity to participate in workshops and engage with established filmmakers and professionals from the international film community.

Dias comes to cinema through an unconventional path. He studied law at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi and later completed a master’s degree in law at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His creative interests gradually expanded into photography, writing, experimental music, collage and filmmaking.

His work moves across fiction, documentary and experimental cinema, with recurring themes including memory, identity, belonging and inner experience. His films and artistic works have been showcased at platforms including the Kochi Art Fair, Ras Al Khaimah Art Fair and Jaipur Centre for Art.

Dias is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Film Direction at ESCAC in Barcelona and is developing his first feature-length film. He was also selected for Locarno BaseCamp earlier this year.

The FLC Artists Academy is designed to nurture emerging filmmaking voices and connect them with the wider international film community.