Engage 2020: “The Art of Social Change” with Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri ’01

Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri ’01 (A.B. Cultural Anthropology), an Indian-Canadian multidisciplinary artist, is a “leading director and voice for female empowerment” (Tribeca Film Festival), a photographer, and social justice advocate. She was discovered by David Bowie while she was still a student at Princeton, leading to work photographing magazine and album covers for some of the world’s top celebrities including Bowie, Beyoncé, Kate Winslet, Lindsay Lohan, and Lady Gaga. She has more recently become a filmmaker, focusing her camera on both commercial and philanthropic subjects, with films shown in museums around the world.

She is known for her “iconic imagery and visionary storytelling” (Huffington Post). Her work has won 29 awards including The Tribeca Film Festival 2019 Disruptor Award, The Max Mark-Cranbrook 2019 Global Peacemaker Award, Best Picture and Best Director at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, two Gold Lions at Cannes Festival of Creativity, and Best Film at the CNN 2018 Expose Awards.

A prolific speaker, Indrani is Co-Host of the Global People’s Summit during the General Assembly at the United Nations, democratizing access to conversations and information that shape the world; UN Women’s Entrepreneurship Distinguished Fellow; Host of New York Live Arts – AI Live Ideas Gala; co-Founder and Executive Director of the Shakti Empowerment Education Foundation.