Yogesh Karikurve – CEO
A visionary at heart and with a global outlook, he believes strongly in the adage 'The Convergence of Media'.
An MBA in International Business from the University of Iowa, USA, and an MBA (Marketing) from Mumbai University, India - he has held senior positions for the past 15 years across industries with several MNCs known for their creative and business acumen. These include Ogilvy and Mather, L’Oreal, The Time of India group and Reliance Big Pictures. He played a pivotal role launching the content syndication platform for Zoom TV (TOI group) and pioneered marketing of independent films of stalwarts like Shaji Karun, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Amol Palekar, Rituparno Ghosh and M.S. Sathyu at leading international film festivals line Cannes and Berlin.
He conducts guest lectures on media and film business across India. He speaks seven languages and enjoys teaching salsa, playing percussion, running marathons, adventure sports, yoga and travelling.
Hayet Benkara - International Consultant
No stranger to the film festival circuit, and international markets, Hayet Benkara has years of experrise in the film industry in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
Hayet Benkara spent six years as the Manager of the Sales Office (unofficial market) at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. Landmark festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, TIFF, International Film Festival Rotterdam (CineMart and the Film Office), the Dubai and the Abu Dhabi Film festival and recently the Exprecion in Corto International Film in Mexico benefit from her expertise as a match-maker and a Film Industry Advisor. She is regularly invited to moderate or sit on panels to share her insights and tips on issues such as networking, festival and marketing strategies, sales and distribution, audience (s) just to name a few.
She has also worked for Immersion, the Canadian-European co-production market held by Telefilm Canada Europe, in Paris.
In 2007 she was appointed Director of Programming and Industry Series Director at ReelWorld Film Festival.
Since 2009 her company Prodigy 360, services and advises international producers and filmmakers at any stage of their project.
Advisory Board
Uma da Cunha – Chief Advisor, Magus Entertainment
Uma da Cunha has been a veteran in the film industry with over three decades of experience behind her. Her primary interests have now specialized into three areas: One: serving as a Casting Director mainly for films being made in English, mostly by directors who live outside of India. Two: programming of Indian cinema in film festivals that are held in India and abroad. Three: Academic and journalistic writing on the subject of Indian cinema.
Uma Da Cunha is the India representative of the Toronto International Film Festival (since mid 1990s), the Locarno International Film Festival (since 2000). Over the past five years, Uma da Cunha has been increasingly concerned with Indian cinema’s international presence and growth. With this objective she has been programming a section called "Film India Worldwide" in India’s festivals (Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai) which screens films that have an international connection.
Uma da Cunha is a leading casting director in India. Her notable assignments being with leading directors such as Mira Nair ("Monsoon Wedding", "Kamasutra"), Deepa Mehta ("Earth" and "Water", Jane Campion ("Holy Smoke"), Ashutosh Gowariker (the British extras in "Lagaan"), Dev Benegal ("English August"), and John Dryden ("The Suitable Boy"), among others.
Uma Da Cunha is also a film journalist, writer and researcher. Her accomplishments include "Montage – Monograph on Satyajit Ray", the respected UK annual called "The International Film Guide", "The New Generation" and many more. Currently, she edits a magazine called Film India Worldwide, a film quarterly that gives topical news on what is happening in Indian cinema particularly in the way it connects with international film making.
Ajitesh Sharma – Consultant, Magus Entertainment
If you have an MBA from world’s 12th best institute, a master degree in technology, experience as a rocket scientist, senior management stint at India’s biggest motion picture studio, and the curator stamp of a major Indian International film festival, you’ll have a difficult choice for your identity, but he prefers himself to be called as a filmmaker. Meet Ajitesh Sharma, a young Indian entrepreneur. Ajitesh is the founder director of Atiksh Entertainment Private Limited, an independently promoted Indian firm operating in the sector of media and entertainment, with key focus in filmed entertainment. The major business areas of the firm are production, media consultancy and content sales.
Ajitesh has earlier worked as a Senior Manager at Reliance Big Pictures, where he was responsible for their film slate for international film festivals. Later he has also served Global Cinema Festival, a festival organized by Film Federation of India and Government of MP, as the curator.
Ajitesh has significant experience in the international film festivals circuit and has an experience of procuring and programming 260 quality films from more than 50 countries for the very first edition of Global Cinema Festival.