Shrihari Sathe won the Producers Award from the 2019 Film Independent's Spirit Awards - Filmmaker Grants on January 5, 2019, in West Hollywood, California.
The 22nd Producers Award, honouring emerging producers who demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films, despite highly limited resources, went to Shrihari Sathe. His latest venture was Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam's Tibetan film 'The Sweet Requiem'. A sensitive and unique take on the refugee crisis, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018 before travelling to a number of festivals, the world over.
An independent producer and director at Infinitum Productions Pvt Ltd, Sathe has backed over 30 international and national projects. Over the years he has been a production fellow at the Sundance Institute, HFPA, PGA, IFP, Film Independent, Trans Atlantic Partners, Cannes Producer's Network, and also received the Cinereach Producer Award in 2016. Sathe is an adjunct assistant professor and production advisor at Columbia University. He dabbled in direction with his debut feature, ‘Ek Hazarachi Note’ (1000 Rupee Note), which received over 30 awards including Best Director and Best Film laurels in 2014.
Sathe is also a Film Independent Producing Lab fellow — an intensive five-week program designed to help filmmakers develop skills as creative, independent producers — along with being a Fast Track fellow, which included a three-day film financing market designed to connect producer-director teams with industry leaders and put projects on the “fast track”.
Film Independent encompasses a broad community of individuals who appreciate and sustain artist-driven filmmaking. Every year at the Spirit Awards, Film Independent gives out several Filmmaker Grants, with nominees and winners selected and voted on by committee.
Watch Shrihari Sathe winning the award here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9fx85epXWU