Priya Thuvassery
Filmmaker and Co-CEO, Chambal Media
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“I believe in feminist leadership, which is not just about women taking on leadership roles but about leading differently. It means ensuring equality, justice, and accessibility for everyone, regardless of gender, caste, race, age, socio-economic background, disability, or sexual orientation.”
Priya Thuvassery is an independent documentary filmmaker and television producer based in New Delhi, India. Her work challenges gender inequality by amplifying women’s voices and perspectives, offering insights into lives shaped by the intersections of body, environment, and community. She grounds her work in deep commitment to dismantling systemic injustices and highlighting resilience and resistance.
Priya is co-CEO of Chambal Media, a digital and social media enterprise that empowers rural women by training them to become storytellers and content creators. She has been recognized as an INLAKS fellow for social justice engagement, for which she curated an art residency about climate change and coral degradation; she was also a Canon Cinema EOS Ambassador and a co-director of the IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival. Additionally, she serves as a mentor to the next generation of feminist filmmakers and storytellers through her work with Chambal Academy, an online learning platform for women, girls, and storytellers from underrepresented communities who want to catalyze social justice change. The academy has trained more than 500 students from seven states in India and supported the creation of all-women storytelling units across northern and central India.
Priya believes that stories told by women, through a feminist lens, are essential for accurately reflecting and understanding modern reality. By providing women—especially those from rural and low-income communities—with the resources to document their surroundings, we can begin to close the gap between media representation and real life.