RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab, Summer 2023
Sai Karan Talwar
Sai Karan Talwar is an award winning writer and director. Film has always been a passion for Sai dating back to growing up in his late Grandfather’s video shop. Being raised within and around the London Film Industry only cultivated this path, with family and friends spread around different functions of film and media, whether it be in marketing, directing, producing, distribution, acting and development.
Initially working with MADE from 2016; a charitable organization with an overall vision to contribute to reducing discrimination against BAME & LGBTQ+ Londoners, this resonated with Sai, being of Indian descent. Their first specific aim is to reduce prejudices about those communities and the second to increase career readiness for talent from those communities entering into the creative industries. In the last few years, MADE has run over 500 filmmaking workshops, 4 screening events with over 150 attendees, held an exhibition at BFI Southbank attracting over 1500 people, delivered 10 projects, and produced over 30 short films with 100,000+ online views. Winning Screenplay Competitions in 2018; Monkey Tree Bread Festival Finalist for Best Genre Screenplay and Awarded Best First Screenwriter in the London Film Awards, fuelled this drive further for Sai; to find ways of getting his ideas from the page to the screen.
Studying Economics and Finance at Durham University provided him with the skill set to learn how the film market ticks. Eventually, this was reflected with his undergraduate dissertation: ‘What are the key determinants of success for the box office within the UK motion picture industry?’ which received a first. This brought Karan to production companies such as Origin Pictures and 42 Management and Production, assisting within the development departments, where he assessed potential projects and aided in the development of ongoing projects. Currently, he is on the route to developing his own work.
As a writer, he has achieved over 20 accolades in the last year for my feature length screenplays, being a finalist in many prestigious festivals and competitions thus far such as: Vision Fest (Top 10 Finalist) Flicker’s Rhode Island International Film Festival, Screencraft, WeScreenplay, Scriptation, CWA, Finish Line, Big Apple International Film Festival, Vail Film Festival, Filmmatic, and many more.
His directorial debut short film Ghanimah has begun its festival run and is having its UK Premiere at the 25th UK Asian Film Festival, and North American Premiere at the LA Asian Film Festival and won Best Short Film at the New Delhi Film Festival, as well as, being selected at over a dozen festivals and winning four awards with a whole year to go, including being a finalist at World-fest Houston International Film Festival. The film is about Islamic Enrolment into the British Military. The film was shot in one day, on an independently financed budget of £9000.
Learn More
After an extensive search and interview process, 20 individuals were invited to participate in the Virtual Cohort of RespectAbility’s 2023 Entertainment Lab taking place August 14 – September 21, 2023. This 6-week Lab aims to develop and elevate the talent pipeline of disabled entertainment professionals working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while connecting them with industry professionals and creatives. Participants include people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, other disabilities, and multiple disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 50s. The Lab is a recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award and is made possible with support from The Harnisch Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Charitable Trust.
