Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Smita Acharyya - 2009 Outstanding Young Alumna | 
| | Smita Acharyya, CTSR '00
2009 Outstanding Young Alumna | The Serious Business of Humour
A young filmmaker shares her love of laughter with audiences
by Colleen Lavender Growing up, Acharyya’s grandmother would insist the whole family drop everything to watch the Saturday night Bollywood film that aired on Calgary TV. Later they explored all the Bengali films they could get their hands on in local video stores. “I had to learn Bengali to speak to my grandmother and to understand the movies,” explains Acharyya, SAIT's inaugural Outstanding Young Alumna Award recipient. From Bollywood to Hollywood and everything in between, Acharyya’s love of movies grew.But before film became her destiny, there was a detour as a Pre-Med student, the career path her mother was eager for her to travel. “I took three years of classes that would prepare me for med school and hated every second of it. I quit right before finals in my third year,” says Acharyya. I looked at the SAIT course catalogue and saw that an instructor in the Cinema Television Stage and Radio (CTSR) program was a movie projectionist I knew from working at Famous Players.” She took it as a sign and applied. The film community has been tremendously important to Acharyya, and she’s been as eager to give as she has to receive. Shortly after graduating from SAIT, she became a member of Women in Film and Television – Alberta, serving for five years on the board, including one term as President. She has mentored other up-and-coming filmmakers, and engages SAIT students and alumni in her projects. Related links:
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