Nalin, came into limelight with his debut feature film SAMSARA.
Nalin,
a self-taught filmmaker, was born in a remote village in Gujarat,
India. The richest thing his family gave to him was his spiritual
upbringing. As a child, Nalin disliked schools; instead he used to
paint and draw. He also actively participated in staging folk theatre
and mythological dramas.
However,
he only saw his first movie at age of nine - since that day he always
wanted to make movies. Later, as a teenager, he left his family and
village in pursuit of cinema. After studies in Fine Arts at the M.S.
University of Baroda, Nalin later went to study Design at the
prestigious NID (National Institute of Design). After shooting some
four animation and twenty short silent films, Nalin concluded that the
best film school is life itself.
He
traveled widely all over India and finally moved to Mumbai (Bombay)
where he worked as production runner. In no time the producers
recognized Nalin's talent and offered him a chance to direct
commercials and corporate films.
Nalin
lived in USA and UK for short time and then went on a six-months'
nomadic existence in Europe. On returning to India, he roamed the
Himalayas in search of his voice. After a long process of unlearning
he developed ideas for several feature films. Along with the process of
writing he experimented with the short fiction film forms. Nalin also
made several documentaries with BBC, Discovery, Canal Plus and other
leading international networks. His recent feature length documentary AYURVEDA: ART OF BEING is at present in theatrical release worldwide. AYURVEDA
has recently celebrated a yearlong theatrical run in Spain and
record-breaking three-year long run in France earning Nalin many
prestigious awards. Earlier the film met with similar success in USA,
Canada, Germany, Holland and Austria.
His first feature film SAMSARA
was a huge commercial and critical success worldwide and won him some
thirty plus international awards. Many critics and spectators
considered SAMSARA a groundbreaking film. SAMSARA grossed US$ 23 million (without USA, UK & Japan) till this date. Miramax/Disney has acquired SAMSARA for the USA.
Nalin’s latest feature film VALLEY OF FLOWERS
has been pres-sold to nearly 40 countries and is currently enjoying
theatrical release with critical and commercial success worldwide. VALLEY OF FLOWERS was filmed in remote, high altitude Himalayas and in Japan. VALLEY OF FLOWERS won
Best Picture at IFFLA Los Angles, also won four nominations at IAAC New
York including The Best Picture and The Best Director.
At present, Nalin is working on his first English language feature film, on the life and times of BUDDHA, which will be filmed in Thailand, Nepal and India.
In 2006 Pan Nalin was awarded Spain's highly prestigious award Vida Sana for his contribution as a filmmaker to the ecology, thus an earth keeper. Also in 2007, TMG (David Flint's Triangle Media Group UK) awarded Pan Nalin as one of the Top 50 Achievers in Global Mainstream Media in the field of Film, Theatre & Drama.
Pan
Nalin has also served as Jury member at many prestigious International
Film Festivals along with Roman Polanski, Maria Medeiros, Jamel
Debouze, Ludivine Sagnier, David Wenham, Paz Vega, Sandrine Bonnaire
& Teddy Chan.
Pan Nalin is
probably the only Indian screenwriter to be twice invited to a
prestigious Screenwriter’s lab Equinoxe where he shared his works with
top Hollywood screenwriters which included; Ron Bass (Rainman..), David
and Janet People (Unforgiven, Blade Runner...) Jim Hart (Dracula,
Contact, Lara Croft…), and Shane Black, (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang
Bang…) among others. Legendary Diva of French Cinema Jeanne Moreau
heads the writer’s lab.
On many
occasions Pan Nalin has also been invited to conduct workshop or to be
on panels at many prestigious literature, arts or media conclaves. The
recent one being at the Jaipur Literature Festival where Nalin was
invited for « Art of Adaptation for Screen » with Oscar
winner writer Christopher Hampton.
Pan Nalin lives in France & India.