About – Aditya Patwardhan

Los Angeles based filmmaker Aditya Patwardhan is known for directing and producing feature films, short films, documentaries, and television.

Based in Los Angeles, filmmaker Aditya Patwardhan is known for his internationally recognized filmography with work showcased through prestigious platforms, and news networks across the world, such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, The Times of India, The Medium, TV Asia, The Quint-Bloomberg, Daily News and Analysis, KSFY News (ABC Network), ETV India, MTV, HarperCollins, and Latin American news media. Aditya has directed projects in the United States, India, Baltic & Eastern Europe, South Korea, and Colombia. Though from an English-speaking and Marathi background, he has directed projects in non-native languages like Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean.

He released his first feature film ‘Transference‘ in 2020, a psychological thriller where he worked with producer Nicole Cannon, acclaimed filmmaker Danny Cannon, Composer David Russo, and the team behind Gotham, Pennyworth, Judge Dredd, and CSI: Miami. It was followed by ‘A Nomad River’, in 2021, an environmental docu-fiction, featuring Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and Indian Classical Musician Pandit Krishna Mohan Bhatt, and produced by Julia Verdin (Producer for Al Pacino’s Merchant of Venice), and Ian La Frenais OBE (Emmy award winner and Order of British Empire Recipient).

In 2022, his first Korean feature film “And the Dream That Mattered” (꿈의 의미 – a Korean drama set around an actor facing a mid-life crisis) with acclaimed Koren Actor Jongman Kim. Set in Busan, Seoul, and Los Angeles, the film was released on Apple TV and it won the best film award at the 26th Korean Cultural Academy Awards. His fourth drama feature film, The Web of Life, featuring LA Law’s Corbin Bernsen, and Battlestar Galactica’s Aaron Douglas, is set to be released in early 2024. On Web of Life, he worked with acclaimed writer and producer Peter J Wacks, known for working on the award-winning franchise Predator, NBC’s acclaimed Heroes, and the global classic Cyberpunk, with whom he is also developing a science fiction television show, called Infinitum Revolutions. Over the pandemic years, Aditya has developed a World-War II-based fictional period film with Lucy Walsh, daughter of The Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, and currently, the project is being pitched to different studios in Los Angeles, with Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible series) serving as the consulting producer.

In 2023, Aditya made his producing debut with the documentary Pink Belt (set to release in late 2023) with academy award-winning producer Andrew Carlberg and director John McCrite.

With a passion for public speaking, Aditya has also been a guest speaker at several institutions like the Dakota Wesleyan University, Iowa Motion Picture Association, Boyoca Cultural Festival (Colombia), Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership, University of Colombia, etc. Apart from filmmaking, Aditya is a drummer and a tabla player and is skilled at playing the Piano and Guitar. With a professional experience in feature filmmaking, documentary filmmaking, political campaigning, public speaking, and music, he heads the team at his film and media production company Mithraspect, based in Jaipur and Los Angeles.

“I have been engaged with my creative side from my very childhood, starting with playing the Drums, Tabla, and Piano from a very young age. During my college years, this evolved into a passion for music that resulted in me being a part of a Rock/Thrash Metal band, Jettarura, which headlined at many events across Northern India. Along with having a strong extra-curricular experience through working with organizations such as AIESEC, I was also involved in freelance photography, blogging, event management, public speaking, and music composition through various large-scale public events. Having had an eye for creativity and a knack for communication, I started working as the Branding and Communication head for Dwarka Gems, a prestigious jewelry brand based in India and England. My first real involvement with film and media came when I started working with a political party in India and headed the Social Media campaigning team for the winning elections for the state of Rajasthan in 2013. “The exposure of working in both rural and urban India gave me the understanding and the confidence to follow my childhood dream: to become a Director.”

– Aditya

Apart from filmmaking, Aditya is a drummer and a tabla player, along with being skilled at playing the Piano and Guitar. With a professional experience in feature filmmaking, documentary filmmaking, political campaigning, public speaking, and music, he heads the team at his film and media production company Mithraspect, based in Jaipur and Los Angeles.

Direction

Production

Screenwriting

Editing

Mr. Patwardhan is one of the most exciting contemporary directors coming out of India in recent times, producing a broad section of intelligent, challenging, and interesting films from many parts of the globe. He has created some truly original and compelling work, and his outstanding record of achievement and collection of awards speaks for itself.,

Andrew Adamson, Oscar Winning Film Director

As an acclaimed music composer, one of the most important things for me is to have a director who has a clear vision for his film and knows what he is looking for in the film's background score. Moreover, the director needs to know that the composer needs to have the freedom to compose and write music on their own. This is even more important for a horror film, where music, sound effects, and background are essential elements for creating suspense and an intriguing experience. I am happy to say that such was my and Aditya's collaboration, and he is one of those directors who I want to work with again. ,

David E. Russo, Composer for Fox's Gotham, and Pennyworth

As much as the varied body of his work impresses me, what stands out is the ease and finesse with which he has directed film across different genres and languages. Aditya Patwardhan is a filmmaker with a strong industry presence and a bright future. With his work I’ve seen, along with the work that has yet to come out, I see a promising future for Aditya as a film director and producer.,

Stephenie Sperber, President - Imagine Kids (Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment)

I can say with complete confidence that Aditya Patwardhan is one of the top directors that I have had the chance to associate with. With a deeply perceptive vision, and a unique narrative style. Mr. Patwardhan has time and again made films that outshine those of his peers. I have seen Mr. Pativardhan handle socially relevant and sensitive subjects with impeccable expertise and well-thought intellectual insight.,

Ian La Frenais O.B.E., Emmy-winning writer and Order of British Empire recipient

Aditya Patwardhan was a guest lecturer in my classes and contributed to hands-on studio work with our students on the fundamentals of film making, his experiences as a film director and as a member of the Hollywood film fraternity. His experiences, training and insight as an artist was truly inspirational to our theatre students and we will always welcome him on to our campus for future artistic, academic and cultural opportunities.,

Daniel L. Miller, Professor of theatre, Dakota Wesleyan University

I had the pleasure of first working with Aditya on the set of the feature film Web of Life, that I was producing. A coming-of-age story about a surfer and his family set in Santa Barbara, the production featured acclaimed talents like Corbin Bernsen and Aaron Douglas. I am extremely thankful that we chose Aditya to lead the direction of this film and lead our project, as not only did he do so with aplomb but his creative eve enhanced the performance of everyone working on that set. From being an ingeniously creative director to an extraordinary problem-solver, Aditya's leadership ensured that the project was finished in a timely and successful manner.,

Peter J. Wacks, acclaimed Author and Producer known for Predators franchise, NBC's Heroes, etc.

Aditya has a clear vision of what he wants out of his performers, his crew, the script, and the shot. He has the ability to convey this vision in a positive, concise, and clear way that helps foment a desire in everyone to put their best effort forward. He is an excellent talent and I believe that the world will soon see that gift realized.,

Aaron Douglas, Actor (Battlestar Galactica, Hemlock Grove)

Regarding 'A Touch of Aurora", Thaila says that it is important to note here that the executive producers of this project could have chosen any other talented Portuguese-speaking producer and director, especially considering that the cast and crew were predominantly made up of Portuguese-speaking personnel. However, they chose to go with Aditya, not only because of his extraordinary talent as a director and producer but also because of his ability to understand the theme and crux of the story and his skill of working with the actors beyond the boundaries of language.,

Thaila Ayala, Brazilian Celebrity and Actress

Aditya has a unique ability to grasp the understanding of human nature and portray it correctly on screen. It comes as no surprise that he has done such amazing work in Spanish and Portuguese as well as made a mark in documentary filmmaking with taking up such a complicated and socially relevant subject.,