Pradnya Dugal(I)
- Producer
- Actress
Pradnya Dugal is an Australian producer and the founder of Jhumka Films production company in Sydney. Born in Australia, of South Asian heritage, Pradnya is an ardent advocate of cinema and the theatrical arts, and is passionate about creating films to tell authentic stories and explore cross-cultural themes. She has 30+ years of training and experience in classical Indian and Bollywood dance, and she founded the Monsuun Dance Company in Sydney (2015-2018). These experiences have deepened her connection to her own Indian cultural roots, and heightened her appreciation of cultural diversity. Pursuing her advocacy and support of upcoming film-makers, Pradnya executive produced feature films that premiered in competition at Sundance Film Festival - "Farewell Amor" (2020), and "The Sound of Silence" (2019), both of which went on to theatrical release by IFC Films, and global distribution with MUBI and Sony International respectively. Her first foray into production was a Bollywood film "Shoor Amhi Sardaar" (2017), in which she also featured as a dancer, which went on to a theatrical release in India. She has performed as a dancer in the award-winning Australian short film "Spice Sisters"(2016), and she was a dance judge on ZeeTV's Season 1 of Superstars Australia (2018). Her latest award-winning Marathi-language short film "Maasa" (2022) premiered at the Mumbai International Film Festival, and has been picked up for distribution by SBS Australia. She is executive producing an Australian feature documentary "Framed" which is in production (2023), and has been shortlisted as one of the hottest upcoming projects at AIDC (Australian International Documentary Conference). Pradnya is keen to discover more inspiring stories to bring to life on the screen, and to keep pursuing her love of the cinematic arts. Outside of film, Pradnya is a doctor, practicing as a radiologist in Sydney, Australia.