TISB Alumni - Maithili Venkataraman

TISB Alumni Maithili Venkataraman works as Executive & Director’s Assistant and film-maker in Toronto, Canada. Maithili completed the IGSCE at TISB in 2009, and went on to study the IB Diploma Programme, from which she graduated in 2011. After graduating from TISB, she joined the ‘BFA Film Production Specialized Honours Programme’ at York University in Canada. When finishing her studies in 2015, she went on to work with Hamilton-Mehta Productions Inc. Now, at the age of 27, and with over five years of experience, Maithili has gained knowledge and skills in photography, writing, script and story editing, film-making and creative management. We reached out to Maithili to learn more about her journey and experiences.

I loved being at TISB! Definitely an experience that I learnt a lot from – Maithili, TISB Alumni

Maithili, who has been interested in film, music, dance and writing since she was a child, started her creative journey during her time at TISB. But in the beginning people, both at TISB and in her family, thought that she should explore a scientific field. “Doing theatre opened my eyes to a new world and made me consider the arts as a profession”, says Maithili who went on to have theatre as part of her IGCSE and as the basis for her IB extended essay. She also joined and took part in the TISB School Choir and Vocal Quintet.

Once graduated from TISB, Maithili went to York University in Toronto that has one of the best film programmes in Canada. “I started with a clean slate, not having done any film course before, and was lucky to have a fantastic set of professors, who pushed me to think outside of the box and trained me from scratch”, says Maithili and express the importance of all her peers, who supported her in her creative adventures. Looking back at her experience, Maithili feels that the best thing about the York University programme was that it gave all students a chance to experience all sides of film-making – everything from production, screenwriting, technical aspects, as well as theory.

Right after graduating from TISB, Maithili moved to Toronto, which has been her home for the past 10 years. “I love this city! My work has taken me all over the place, but Toronto is the home I can’t wait to get back to”, says Maithili who, as Director Deepa Mehta’s right hand, assists with everything from creative work to managing the schedule. “My main focus is direction”, says Maithili, who has also been a Cinematographer on the ‘Anatomy of Violence’, as well as Director’s Assistant on the film ‘Funny Boy’ and the Netflix series ‘Leila’. Maithili thinks that her future will embark on many things – both film and non-film related – as she has many projects in the pipeline. “But at this moment, all I’m wishing for is more hope and healing for the world”, she concludes.