Ritesh Batra in Variety’s coveted list  of the 10 international directors to watch out for… To be honoured on 3rd Jan, 2017 at the Palm Springs Film Festival. 

MUMBAI; 30th Nov 2016: Mumbai boy, Ritesh Batra has done us proud again! After wrapping up his latest, much in news film- Our Souls at Night, starring the legendary Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, earlier this month, comes the news that he has been named by the prestigious Variety magazine in its list of the 10 directors to watch out for series.

Variety has selected its 10 Directors to Watch for 2016, marking the 20th anniversary of a talent-spotlighting effort that identified such directors as Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, and Taika Waititi long before they were household names.

This honour comes for his film – The Sense of an Ending, his second film (after Lunchbox), which cast veteran British performing stars Jim Broadbent (Gangs of New York, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Moulin Rouge) and Charlotte Rampling (The Verdict, Aberdeen, Vanishing Point). Adapted from a Booker Prize winning novel by Julian Barnes, the film also stars Michelle Dockery of Downton Abbey fame and Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island, Matchpoint, Harry Brown and The Newsroom).

The directors will be profiled in a special standalone issue of Variety on Jan. 3, the same day they will be honored in person at the Palm Springs Film Festival.

Variety has selected its 10 Directors to Watch for 2016, marking the 20th anniversary of a talent-spotlighting effort that identified such directors as Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, and Taika Waititi long before they were household names.

This year’s list brings together up-and-coming feature helmers from all corners of the industry: domestic and international, narrative and documentary, directing everything from heartwarming to horror fare. The directors range from breakthrough indie voice Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) to Indian director Ritesh Batra (who makes his English-language debut with “The Sense of an Ending”). What all 10 have in common (technically 11, as the list includes a pair of siblings) is a clear vision, distinct voice, and thrilling potential to revolutionize the business in his or her own way.

The lineup includes six debut features, including a couple that have yet to make their festival debuts: Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$” and “The Tribes of Palos Verdes,” from brothers and accomplished commercials directors Emmett and Brendan Malloy. Julia Ducournau’s shocking “Raw” made its mind-blowing bow in Cannes, while stage veteran William Oldroyd premiered his “Lady Macbeth” in Toronto.

The 10 Directors to Watch are:

• Maren Ade(“Toni Erdmann”)
• Ritesh Batra (“The Sense of an Ending”)
• Otto Bell (“The Eagle Huntress”)
• Julia Ducournau (“Raw”)
• Geremy Jasper (“Patti Cake$”)
• Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”)
• Emmett & Brendan Malloy (“The Tribes of Palos Verdes”)
• Kleber Mendonça Filho (“Aquarius”)
• William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”)
• David Sandberg (“Lights Out”)

The directors will be profiled in a special standalone issue of Variety on Jan. 3, the same day they will be honored in person at the Palm Springs Film Festival.

Variety’s 10 to Watch series spotlights emerging writers, actors, producers, directors, comics and cinematographers. The honorees are selected by a team of Variety editors, critics, and reporters. “