Guneet Monga Kapoor leads launch of Women in Film India, fellowship announced at Cannes Film Festival 2025
Women in Film India (WIF India), the newly launched chapter of the global Women in Film network, makes its official debut this month under the leadership of Academy Award-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor. The organization marks its launch with the unveiling of its official website This debut signals the beginning of several upcoming programs that WIF India will roll out shortly. The first initiative kicks off at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival — a special program spotlighting three women producers from India. The website is now open to the public, who can join by registering for membership, keeping themselves updated on upcoming initiatives, and other resources.
Backed by Women In Film Los Angeles (WIF LA), WIF India joins a global coalition of over 50 chapters across six continents working to advance gender equity in the entertainment industry. The launch signals a major milestone for India’s creative community and builds on decades of international advocacy for representation in film, television, and media.
“With WIF India, we’re putting real structure behind the idea of equality-mentorship, access, and leadership pathways,” said Guneet Monga Kapoor, Founder of WIF India. “This launch is just the beginning of a long-term commitment to investing in women not just for today, but for the future of the Indian entertainment industry.”
To commemorate its debut, WIF India is introducing The Women in Film India Fellowship: Cannes Producers Edition, a flagship program designed to elevate mid-career women producers by providing them with access to the Producers Network at the Marché du Film at Cannes, an influential forum for global collaboration in cinema.
This year’s inaugural scholarship recipients are:
Tillotama Shome – Acclaimed award-winning actor and emerging producer known for her iconic roles in films like Sir, Lust Stories 2, and has recently become a producer with a Bengali feature film, Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox).
Rucha Pathak – A veteran studio executive and creative producer having worked films like Paan Singh Tomar, Neerja, Barfi and most recently Madgaon Express.
Dimpy Agarwal – independent producer known for socially conscious storytelling, who is also a co-producer on Baksho Bondi and has worked on award-winning films like Chashma, Umeed, and Monica O My Darling.
In addition to this, in a special initiative under this program, WIF India has also awarded an Accreditation Grant to an outstanding woman producer from the Marathi film industry — Shefali Bhushan, whose film Sthal is being showcased at the Cannes Film Market.
Kirsten Schaffer, Chief Executive Officer, Women in Film, said, “Our partnership with Women in Film, India marks an important step toward building a strong, interconnected community that supports women across all aspects of the screen industries. This fellowship is a key part of the solution to ensuring that women have equal opportunity to create high-quality film and television”.
Each producer brings a distinct voice and a powerful body of work to Cannes, representing the diversity and ambition of India’s evolving film landscape. The program offers recipients insight into international co-production and financing landscapes, as well as mentorship and networking at a global scale. Participants are also encouraged to share their learnings with the broader WIF India community, expanding the reach of the program beyond the festival.
WIF India is governed by a distinguished Board of Directors representing all facets of India’s film and media ecosystem, including: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Karan Johar, Faye D’Souza, Anupama Chopra, Tahira Kashyap, Gauri Shinde, Nikhil Advani, Jyoti Deshpande, Gayatri Yadav, Aparna Purohit, Varun Grover, Kanika Dhillon, Vani Tripathi, Miriam Joseph, Ekta Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, and Guneet Monga Kapoor.
Together, they are committed to building a dynamic and inclusive future for Indian women in entertainment – from grassroots creators to global changemakers. WIF India welcomes creators, professionals, and allies across the entertainment industry to become part of its growing network, with membership officially open.
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