Leadership
Guiding the artistic vision, programming curation, and execution of the festival.
Ruchi Vijaywargia
Chairperson
Ruchi Vijaywargia is the Chairperson of the People’s International Film Festival of India (PIFFI), a flagship initiative of People’s Foundation dedicated to celebrating cinematic excellence, fostering cultural dialogue and creating opportunities for filmmakers from around the world.
A media entrepreneur, filmmaker and institution builder, she serves as the Managing Director & Editor of People’s Samachar, one of Madhya Pradesh’s leading Hindi daily newspapers. She is also the founder of Aanya Cine & Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd., leads People’s Films Division, and is a Life Member of the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA).
As a Trustee of People’s Group, she has led initiatives across media, education and culture. Her vision for PIFFI is to establish Bhopal and Madhya Pradesh as globally recognised destinations for cinema, creativity and cultural exchange.
Earlier, she earned Airline Transport Pilot qualifications in the United States and was among the first Indian women to serve as a flight instructor there, experiences that continue to shape her leadership and institution-building approach.
Anwar Jamal
Festival Director
Anwar Jamal is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has won accolades in India and abroad. In a career spanning 36 years, he has produced, written and directed more than 100 titles. These include documentaries, short films and narrative features.
He is celebrated for socially conscious cinema that addresses themes of women’s empowerment, rural governance, politics of water, land rights and cultural heritage. His films have been screened at more than 200 international festivals across the world.
He has served on the jury of several international film festivals. He lectured on Cinema and Design at IGNCA Delhi, The National School of Drama, Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, Bhopal and DAV University, Punjab. He edited two books, one on crossover films and another on Shyam Benegal.
Saibal Chatterjee
Head of Programming
Saibal Chatterjee is a National Award–winning film critic, documentary scriptwriter and festival director/curator. His film reviews appear on NDTV Movies. He contributes columns and reportage to The Hindu, The Gulf Today (Sharjah) and Civil Society magazine.
He has covered major international film festivals (Cannes, Toronto and others) for various media outlets since 2003. His documentary scripting credits include Harvest of Grief, about victims of Punjab's agrarian crisis, and Dil Ki Basti Mein, a dive into the sociocultural universe of Old Delhi.
He has authored a book on poet-lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar and edited Encyclopaedia Britannica's 'Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema'. He was the director of Pondicherry International Film Festival in 2018-2019 and a member of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal.