Zana Briski is a multifaceted English artist, photographer, filmmaker, and dedicated activist.
Her passion for photography began at the tender age of 10. Following the completion of her master's degree at the University of Cambridge, Briski further honed her skills in documentary photography at the prestigious International Center of Photography in New York.
In 1995, Briski embarked on her first journey to India, where she produced a powerful story on the tragic phenomenon of female infanticide. Two years later, in 1997, she returned to India and began her groundbreaking project on the prostitutes of Calcutta's notorious red-light district, which ultimately led to her life-changing work with the children of sex workers.
Throughout her illustrious career, Briski has received numerous accolades and fellowships, including the esteemed George Soros' Open Society Institute Fellowship, an Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship in 2000 to research and photograph in the brothels of India, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and the Howard Chapnick Grant for the Advancement of Photojournalism.
Briski and her co-director, Ross Kauffman, were awarded grants from the Sundance Institute, the Jerome Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts for their remarkable film, Born into Brothels. This critically acclaimed documentary won the Best Documentary Feature at the 77th Academy Awards in 2005.
As the founder of the non-profit organization Kids With Cameras, Briski continues to dedicate her life to empowering and uplifting the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
