Mitra Sen Producer, Writer, Director, Educator, Photographer

Starting Out
Mitra Sen is a graduate of U of T and the York Univeristy Film Production program. She began her career in the Canadian film industry as the Assistant Director on the International Emmy Award winning CBC television series Degrassi Junior High. She has worked in various aspects of filmmaking including scriptwriting, producing, production managing, directing, editing and casting. Mitra has been involved in several feature films including:

- Mira Nari's My Own Country
- Deepa Mehta's Sam and Me
- Touchstone Pictures' Cocktail with Tom Cruise

Mitra is also a teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Following an eye-opening experience that occurred in her class, Mitra was compelled to share the inspiring story of a group of young people who challenged racism in their school. The result? She produced, wrote and directed the 35 minute docu-drama entitled just a little red dot The film has been invited to over 25 international film festivals and has won 12 international awards including:

- Gold World Medal (New York Festivals)
- Most Popular Film (Chicago Int'l Children's Film Festival)
- Best Short Film (Children's Int'l Film Festival in India)
- Golden Book Prize for Best Educational Film (Iran)

Education as Art
Mitra has also been invited to speak at Festivals, Equity Conferences and Universities, and has conducted several workshops for educators in Ontario. She is the recipient of the Multimedia Award from the Federation of Women Teachers Association of Ontario, honoured for outstanding achievement by the Federation of Indo-Canadian Associations and recognized for her work in promoting human rights issues by the League for Human Rights of B'nai Birth Canada.

Mitra is also the Founder of the little red dot club. This group of young, talented people conduct presentations and workshops at schools and educational forums throughout North America. The purpose of the club is to empower children to challenge racism and promote respect in our schools and communities.

Photographic Journeys
As a photographer, Mitra has traveled extensively around the world, but still finds India the most captivating and exotic land to capture through her lens. The vibrant colours, intricate architecture, and character of the people set against the golden deserts and Himalayan range becomes a magical journey for any photographer. Mitra has traveled to all corners of India and focused on capturing the spirit of the people in remote villages. She was especially touched by the warmth and hospitality of the villagers whom she describes as filled with human compassion. Mitra's work has been included in several photo exhibitions in Toronto.

What Next?
As a filmmaker and an educator, Mitra's primary objective is to utilize her many skills to convey powerful social messages. These messages are intended to empower individuals to deal creatively and effectively with today's complex social issues. Mitra's next film is entitled desert Dreams which will be shot in Rajasthan, India. Through this film, Mitra intends to highlight the positive aspects of India, the land and its people. The goal of this next film is to enlighten audiences around the world to the unparalleled beauty, spirit, culture and history of this exotic and timeless land.