On the eve of its release in theaters across the country, and coinciding with the upcoming “Diwali” holiday, it’s very fitting to introduce this very talented filmmaker and the woman behind the movie “Festival of Lights.”
Shundell Prasad screenwriter, filmmaker and movie director working out of New York and LA. She was born in Guyana but migrated to the US at age 6. Shundell is a graduate of New York University’s Prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, where she majored in Film & Television Production.
Shundell’s most recent and third film, Festival of Lights, tells the story of a rebellious teenage girl struggles to navigate a broken relationship with her mother and a troubled adolescence, while memories of her absent father continue to haunt her. After receiving shocking news about her father, she embarks on a journey from New York to Guyana to discover the truth about her family’s mysterious past. This film is Shundell’s most notable achievement and includes a cast of strong female characters.
Prior to “Festivals of Lights” Shundell made her directorial debut with her first movie “Once More Removed: a journey back to India.” It’s a movie about my forefathers – Indian indentured servants brought to Guyana to work the sugar plantations, Shundell explained. This film was screened worldwide, including in London, Delhi, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Port Louis (Mauritius), Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago) and Georgetown (Guyana).
Before making Once More Removed, Shundell worked for HBO’s highly acclaimed documentary division in New York. While still in college, she worked for The Wall Street Journal and Associate Produced for CNN. She has also worked on the CBS Emmy Award Winning show, ‘The Amazing Race.
- A scene from Festival-of-Lights
By age 25, Shundell had finished her second film which was shot on location in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, Islamabad and Azad Kashmir. The film entitled Unholy Matrimony, explores the issue of Forced Marriages.
“Festival of Lights is nothing short of a miracle, and sharing it with the world this November marks a victory for everyone involved in its making. It has been an enormous, life-altering journey, and a movie I couldn’t be more proud to call my own” Shundell proudly stated. This Diwali, Shundell invites you all to see the movie with your friends, family and community.
Festival of Lights opens on November 2, 2012 in New York and Atlanta, in LA on November 9th and in Michigan on November 29. Go out and support this film!
For more information visit the movie official website: http://festivaloflightsfilm.com; facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/festivaloflightsfilm or follow on twitter https://twitter.com/FestOfLights
