Gitanjali Rao

Gitanjali Rao (born 1972) is an Indian theatre actress, animator, and filmmaker. She graduated as an applied artist from the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai, in 1994. Gitanjali gained recognition for her animated short films, including 'Orange' and 'Printed Rainbow,' which she independently produced and directed. Her debut animation short, 'Printed Rainbow' (2006), won the Kodak Short Film Award, Small Golden Rail, and the Young Critics Award at the Critics Week section at Cannes. It also received the Golden Conch for Best Animation Film at the 2006 Mumbai International Film Festival. Gitanjali has served on the judging panel for various festivals, including the 2011 Cannes Critics' Week short films jury. She directed a segment in the film 'Shorts' (2013), and her animated short film 'True Love Story' was selected for Critics' Week at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.