Leena Manimekalai (Indian Filmmaker) Biography

Quick Info

Profession	Filmmaker, Poet, Actor
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	07/06/1980
Age	46 years
Birthplace	Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu

Latest News about Leena Manimekalai

01/01/2025

FIRs were filed against filmmaker Leena Manimekalai by Delhi and Uttar Pradesh police for hurting religious sentiments through the poster of her performance documentary 'Kaali'. The Cyber Crime Unit of Delhi Police registered an FIR under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups) and 295A (outraging religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code, while UP police filed charges including criminal conspiracy and deliberately hurting religious sentiments.

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Bio/Wiki

Nickname	Karuvachi

Physical Stats & More

Height	168 cm
Weight	55 kg
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

Education	B.E. in Instrumentation and Control Engineering Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking MFA (Film) at York University

Personal Life

Religious views	Atheist
Caste	Shudra
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Political views	Post ideology

Relationships & More

Sexual Orientation	Bisexual
Marital Status	Divorced

Family

Father	Iragupathi (college professor)
Mother	Rama
Siblings	Elango Raghupathy (filmmaker)

Career

Debut

Short Film (Tamil; As a director)	Mathamma (2003)
Film (Tamil; As an actor)	Chellamma (2004) as a protagonist

Awards/Honours/Achievements

2004: Chicago Women in Director's Chair International Film Festival
2004: Silver Trophy for the Best Documentary in Europe Movies Film Festival
2005: Best Actor and Best Experimental Video in Independent Art Film Festival
2005: Best Documentary in Paris and Norway Independent Diaspora Festivals
2005: European Union Fellowship for Conflict Resolution in Media
2005: Retrospective, International Democratic Socialist Youth Film Festival, Venezuela
2006: International Jury in Asian Film Festival, Malaysia
2007: Jury Award for Best Cinema of Resistance
2008: Golden Conch for Best International Documentary in Mumbai International Film Festival
2008: Visiting Scholar Fellowship, Berlinale
2008: One Billion Eyes National Award – Best Documentary
2008: Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, Birds Eye View Film Festival, London
2008: Iyal Best Poetry Award from The Tamil Literary Garden for Ulakin Azhakiya Muthal Penn
2011: Sirpi Literary Award for the contribution to Tamil Poetry
2011: Indian Panorama Selections for Sengadal
2011: NAWFF Award for Best Asian Women Cinema (Tokyo) for the film Sengadal
2013: Lenin Award from Thamizh Studio
2014: Srishti Tamil Lambda Literary Award for her book Antharakanni
2015: L’Oreal Paris Femina Women Award
2020: AIFF award for the film Maadathy, an Unfairy Tale (2019)
2012: Charles Wallace Art Award in Visual Ethnography
2022: BAFTA India Breakthrough Talent
2017: Emmy Award
2017: Best Documentary Prize at Singapore South Asian Film Festival

Social Media

Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/leenamanimekalai/

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Leena faced allegations of offending Hindu beliefs due to the movie poster for 'Kaali.'
2. She avoided an arranged marriage and pursued a career in engineering.
3. After accusing director Susi of harassment, her passport was taken away.
4. Her works include films highlighting women's empowerment, caste issues, and LGBTQ rights.
5. Leena is involved in writing poetry and directing various short and feature films.
6. She trained in classical Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic music during childhood.
7. She co-organized Asia’s first LGBTQ+ Pride Parade in July 2012.
8. Her films include Goddesses (2007), Sengadal/The Dead Sea (2011), Ballad of Resistance (2012), Pennadi/My Mirror is the Door (2013), White Van Stories (2015), Is it too much to ask? (2017), Maadathy, an Unfairy Tale (2019), and Kaali (2022).

Leena Manimekalai Filmmaker, Poet, Actor Indian Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu