Meet Alka Bhanot: Brings South Asian Independent Films to Austin through Indie Meme

Started in February of 2013, Indie Meme is a product of Alka Bhanot’s passion for cinema, and her compulsive desire to make independent films available in the United States for everyone and not just the festival goers. The idea germinated as a dear friend of Alka, Surabhi Sharma, had a screening of her lovely film in Austin and very few people knew about it. The world of Facebook informed her of amazing films being done in India by old friends and acquaintances and at the time she had no way of watching them. The need to watch something more rewarding than what was usually available, made her believe that surely there were others like her – seeking good meaningful cinema from India.

“Anjalika Sharma, my first partner in crime, fueled the company with her energy and spirit. Tripti Bhatnagar, my partner today, is keeping it all together as we grow and spread our wings. Indie Meme has been approved as a fiscally sponsored  project of the Austin Creative Alliance for 2015. It was the next step for us and quiet a milestone for the company. This means that our sponsors can avail of tax benefits for their donations and we can begin the arduous task of fundraising. ” –  Alka Bhanot

Alka Bhanot has extensive experience producing for Indian Television and was the Executive Producer for the first Late Night Show, ‘Movers & Shakers’ in India, which won numerous awards. In Austin, since 2003 her film credits include Bryan Poyser’s ‘Dear Pillow’ (2003) Winner, Best Narrative Feature, Atlanta Film Festival, Margaret Brown’s ‘Be Here To Love Me’ (2006) a film about the life and music of Townes Van Zandt and ‘Sunshine’(2009) a documentary about adoption and single parenthood by Karen Skloss which aired as part of the Independent Lens series on PBS. She also worked on the ‘Trevor Romain Video Series’ (2005) an animated kids show which aired on PBS.  Confirmed as an Austin native (yes the allergies finally got to her) Alka lives with her husband & two children.

Indie Meme aims to build communities around film by promoting meaningful cinema via theatrical, non-theatrical, educational & event based platforms. Find more about Indie Meme and find out about the upcoming Indie Meme Film Festival here.

“It’s been such an incredible journey till date, with tremendous support from the community, which enables us to continue to move ahead – one screening at a time! The support from family, old friends and new has been steadfast. And every Indie Meme event has been led by volunteers, who ran the show and truly cared about what we were trying to build.” – Alka Bhanot