Sanjay Arora

Sanjay Arora
Sanjay Arora at Jaipur University, India, cultural film festival
Born
Kurukshetra, India
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, actor

Sanjay Arora is an Indian filmmaker and actor.[1] He is known for making films such as Expression, Chase,[2] Butterfly Wings,[3] and Once Again.

Early life

Sanjay Arora was born in Kurukshetra, India. He attended Senior Model School in Kurukshetra and later earned a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering from Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology in Haryana. He subsequently completed postgraduate studies in Export Marketing and Management at Kurukshetra University.

Arora began his career as a host for All India Radio, presenting programming aimed at younger audiences. In 1999, he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he worked as a software engineer. He later pursued filmmaking and acting, studying directing at the New York Film Academy in New York City.[4] He also trained in acting at the India Today Acting School in Toronto under instructor Roshan Taneja.

Film career

Arora used income from his engineering career in the United States to produce and direct the short film Butterfly Wings.[5] The film, based on the story of a woman with a physical disability, was shot in Delhi with a cast of Indian and American actors. It was featured in the 2011 We Care Film Festival[6] and was screened in 15 cities across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Allahabad, Jaipur, Goa, and Gurgaon. It was also shown at the United Nations Information Center in Delhi[7] and at BHEL in Haridwar. Internationally, the film was screened at the Picture This Film Festival in Calgary,[8] the West Virginia Filmmaker Festival (USA),[9] and the Trinity Film Coalition Film Festival in Detroit.

Other films

Arora's short film Once Again (Phir Vehi), which draws on themes associated with the teachings of the Buddha, was screened at the Delhi International Film Festival.[10]

His film Expression depicts a relationship between Karan, an American-born Indian, and Sonya, a Russian bartender in Moscow. The narrative emphasizes non-verbal communication and was filmed in Detroit using a cast of Indian and Russian actors. It was screened at the ICE Short Film Festival in Pune[11] and at the World Music & Independent Film Festival (WMIFF) in 2012.

Chase is a short film about a young man’s pursuit of happiness. The film was shot in New York City.

Filmography

Selected Filmography
Year Title Type Role(s)
2006 Expression Short film Producer, Actor, Director
2008 Chase Short film Producer, Director
2010 Butterfly Wings Short film Producer, Director[12]
2011 Shuttlecock Boys Feature film Assistant Director
2012 Once Again (Phir Vehi) Short film Producer, Writer, Director[13]
2023 Once Upon a Time in Lahore Short film Executive Producer
2024 2 Khet (Two Farms) Short film Executive Producer
2024 You Are Early Short film Co-Producer

Awards and nominations

2 Khet (Two Farms)

  • Won Best Director (Short Film) at the South Asian International Film Festival of Florida, 2025.[14]

Once Upon a Time in Lahore

  • Won Best Short Film and Best Actor in a Short Film at the India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB), 2024.
  • Received Best Director, Best Post-Production, and Best Ensemble Cast awards at the FFTG Awards, New York, 2023.[15]

Butterfly Wings

  • Honorable Mention at the Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival (BCIFF), Houston, 2011.[16]
  • Second Prize, Best Film at the Global Film Festival, Noida, India, 2011.[17]
  • Award of Merit for Short Film at the Accolade Film Competition, USA, 2013.[18]

Once Again (Phir Vehi)

  • Official selection at the Delhi International Film Festival, 2012.[19]
  • Won Third Prize at the Boomtown Film & Music Festival, Texas, 2013.[20]
  • Won Best Religious/Spiritual Film at the Great Lakes International Film Festival, 2013.[21]
  • Won Best Screenplay Award at the Free Spirit Film Festival, 2013.[22]
  • Won Silver Award – Short Film Competition at the California Film Awards, 2014.[23]
  • Won Royal Reel Award at the Canada International Film Festival, 2014.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Sanjay Arora's bags another International Accolade". The Times of India. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Best Indian Shortz Films". Shortz.
  3. ^ "Butterfly Wings at International Film Festival". India Post. 8 April 2011.
  4. ^ "Sunday Show". Indian Express. 28 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Butterfly Wings is based on a True Story". The Times of India. 18 April 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
  6. ^ "Butterfly Wings at We Care and Picture this film festival". Bollywood Trade. 27 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  7. ^ "U.N. India-Connect". U.N. Information Center for India and Bhutan. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  8. ^ "2011 Selections". International Disability Film Festival.
  9. ^ "Selections". West VA Filmmaker Filmfestival.
  10. ^ "NRI Cinema". Delhi International Film Festival.
  11. ^ "Schedule". Ice Digital Short Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  12. ^ [Insert citation]
  13. ^ [Insert citation]
  14. ^ "Sanjay Arora wins Best Director Award for 2 Khet". India West. 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  15. ^ "FFTGAwards Profile: Sanjay Arora". FFTG Awards. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  16. ^ "2011 Awards". Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  17. ^ "Awards Result". Global Film Festival. Archived from the original on 5 December 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  18. ^ "Accolade Film Competition 2013 Winners". Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  19. ^ "Arora Pitches The 'Aware Life' Through Short Film". The Weekly Voice.
  20. ^ "'Once Again' filmmaker Sanjay Arora wins accolades". 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  21. ^ "GLIFF 2013 Winners". Great Lakes International Film Festival.
  22. ^ "Free Spirit Film Festival ends". Business Standard. 24 October 2013.
  23. ^ "Award Winners 2014". California Film Awards.
  24. ^ "Sanjay Arora's film 'Once Again' wins Royal Reel Award in Canada". Times of India. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.