Zana Briski (born 25 October 1966) is a British

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

and filmmaker, best known for '' Born into Brothels'', the 2004 Oscar winner of the

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, which she directed. She founded Kids with Cameras, a non-profit organization that teaches the art of photography to marginalized children in communities throughout the world. Her interest in photography began at age 10. After earning a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, she studied documentary photography at International Center of Photography in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In 1995, she made her first trip to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, producing a story on female

infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...

. In 1997, Briski returned to India and began her project on the prostitutes of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

's red-light district, which led to her work with the children of prostitutes. Her latest projec
''Reverence''
is an experiential multimedia exhibit about transformation. Inspired by dreams of a praying mantis, she was led around the world to collaborate with living insects, taking their portraits in photographs and film. "My work is a tribute to insects, to their intelligence, personality and elegant beauty," she says. The project raised initial funds through the crowdsourcing sit
Kickstarter
in 2010. Briski has won numerous awards and fellowships including the

Open Society Institute Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is a grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with a sta ...

Fellowship, the Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship in 2000 to research and photograph in the Brothels of India, a

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

Fellowship, th
Howard Chapnick Grant
and 1st Prize in 1999 in the World Press Photo foundation competition in the category "Daily Life stories".World Press Photo website
Retrieved 7 April 2015. Briski and co-director Ross Kauffman were awarded grants from the Sundance Institute
the Jerome Foundation
and the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...

for '' Born into Brothels''.

References

External links

1966 births Living people British documentary filmmakers Photography in India English women photographers Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners Photographers from London Alumni of the University of Cambridge Women documentary filmmakers {{UK-photographer-stub