SAFF 2020: Friday

Hosted by Sumita Batra

Born in Greenwich, England, and raised by Sikh parents that were born in Iran, Sumita Batra grew up migrating between India, England and Iran. She moved to the United States when she was 16. Her family struggled and worked hard to create stability in a new country. When her mother decided to open Ziba Beauty in 1987, Sumita became the spokesperson for the business. Batra produced events, and tradeshows to help grow the business. She polished Ziba Beauty and opened chic studios in major malls across California and a global trend was born. A slew of major Hollywood celebrities hired Batra and Ziba Beauty to create henna, and body art for music videos and magazine shoots. As a henna artist, she has worked on A-List celebrities such as Beyoncé, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and many more. She became the CEO in 1998 and partnered with an international distributor to create and market kits for brands like The Body Shop, Sally Beauty, and Walgreens.

In 1999, Batra authored a book called The Art of Mehndi, published by Carlton Books/Penguin. She then launched her eponymous brand Sumita Cosmetics, expanded to 22 countries and sold the company to her partners in 2017. In today’s COVID-19 environment, Sumita has pivoted and has recently launched The Pro Safety Group together with her partner Madeline Leaonard. They are producing a Virtual Summit on safety for the Beauty Industry January 11-13th, 2021. Batra is also working with a global COVID-19 Consortium that is offering COVID-19 Test Kits (PCR, Antigen and antibody tests) to a network of global clients.

Welcome Message by Dean Stephen Galloway, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University

Stephen Galloway joined Chapman University this year as the Twyla Reed Martin Dean of Film and Media Arts at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Dean Galloway is best known for his role as executive editor and producer at The Hollywood Reporter. He created and produced series such as “The Hollywood Masters“ and the “Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter,” available on Sundance TV and Hulu. Galloway graduated from Cambridge University with F and came to America on a Harkness Fellowship (the British version of a Rhodes Scholarship). After studying at the American Film Institute’s conservatory, he worked in film and television both in the U.S. and France before joining The Hollywood Reporter where he has served for almost 30 years.

Over the past decade, Dean Galloway worked to bring in and support diversity in the entertainment industry. Through a partnership between The Hollywood Reporter and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, he created the award-winning Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program, which pairs high school juniors from schools in South Central Los Angeles with top-level women in film and TV. More than 250 teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds have participated in this program and gone on to college, helped by more than $10 million that Stephen has raised in scholarship money.

Keynote Speakers: The Singh Twins

The Singh Twins are internationally renowned British artists whose award-winning work which challenges generally accepted, Eurocentric perceptions of heritage and identity in art and society, has been cited by Sir Simon Schama as representing the artistic face of modern Britain. As Honorary Citizens of Liverpool and recipients of an MBE and two Honorary Doctorates, their ‘outstanding contribution to British art’ has been acknowledged at the highest level and features in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History. Media coverage includes interviews for The Guardian and Independent; guest appearances on Woman’s Hour, the One Show, Graysons Art Club; the BBC’s ‘Face of Britain’ and ‘Civilizations’ series and two commissioned arts documentaries.

Their work is in collections worldwide. Well known public commissions include two paintings celebrating Liverpool’s 800th birthday and status as European Capital of Culture in 2008; a portrait of Maharaja Duleep Singh (National Museums Scotland collection); and ‘EnTWINed’ (Museum of London collection). Past exhibitions include solo shows at London’s National Portrait Gallery, National Museums Liverpool, National Museums Scotland and the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, and Mumbai. In 2016 The Twins were invited to contribute to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and their commission for the Museum of London was selected for Tate Britain’s ‘Artist and Empire’ International touring exhibition. In 2018 their hit exhibition ‘Slaves of Fashion’ (described as “a triumph of how to make boldly political art which doesn’t shout at its audience, but makes them want to discover the truth for themselves”), attracted over 105,000 visitors at its launch venue alone. They were subsequently commissioned by Royal Collections Trust to create an artwork for the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace exhibition, ‘Splendors of the Subcontinent’.

Gianna Gravalese

Gianna Gravalese is a 2020 graduate from Chapman University with a BFA in News and Documentary and minor in Media, Culture, and Society. Throughout her student career, she worked as a producer and anchor for Chapman News and a director/producer/editor for some short documentaries. Her documentary work spanned anywhere from her hometown, to Asia, and Europe. When accepted to the Sikhlens program, she worked in a team to direct and produce two films in Grenoble, France where she and her fellow filmmakers uncovered the stories of French Sikhs. Gianna looks forward to attending festivals for these films once the pandemic is over, and is currently a lifestyle television reporter in Boston.

Haylie Bantle

Haylie Bantle graduated with a B.F.A in News and Documentary from Chapman University, Haylie hopes to take her experience and break into the television editing world. She has a deep love and appreciation for editing, finding it creatively challenging and fun. Haylie recently finished two documentaries, one being her thesis project, and another made with a competitive grant. She is now working for Ugly Brother Studios as a Postproduction Assistant and is set on editing a scripted series for Marvel Studios.

Rishabh Thakkar

Rishabh Thakkar has successfully lead Documentary projects in India, France, and the USA. A graduate of Chapman University with MFA in Documentary Filmmaking, he believes audiences all around the world connect through one thing – Emotions. Driven by his passion for inducing emotions in the audience through the audio-visual medium and guided by quality direction, he puts his best foot forward on every project.