Aishwarya Sridhar’s ‘Leopard Dynasty: The Rise of Rana’ earns double nomination at Pridelands Film Festival

Wildlife filmmaker Aishwarya Sridhar’s documentary Leopard Dynasty: The Rise of Rana has received two nominations at the Pridelands Film Festival 2026 and will also be screened at the REEL WILD New York Film Festival, marking another milestone in her career.

Hyderabad: For Aishwarya Sridhar, the passionate National Geographic Explorer and first woman from India to win at the Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Awards, it is yet another moment of crowning glory when her documentary ‘Leopard Dynasty: The Rise of Rana’, a gripping wildlife saga set in the unlikely wilderness of Jaipur’s Jhalana Reserve, has an impact on the global festival circuit by its double nomination at the Pridelands Film Festival 2026 in the categories of Best Emerging Filmmaker and Best Feature Length Film.

It’s also an Official Selection at the REEL WILD New York Film Festival and will be screened at the AMC Lincoln Square, NYC on April 25, 2026.

Reflecting on the journey and her nomination as an emerging filmmaker at Pridelands Film Festival, director Aishwarya Sridhar said: “This film is not just about a leopard—it’s about legacy, conflict, and what it takes to claim your place in a changing world. This recognition feels deeply personal to me—not just as a filmmaker, but as someone who has grown up on the magic and emotion of Bollywood.”

“Celebrating those roots and daring to bring that larger-than-life, dramatic storytelling into a wildlife film was a risk I truly believed in. With Leopard Dynasty: The Rise of Rana, shot with Cannon gear, I wanted to tell a story of the wild with the same intensity, legacy, and emotion that defines Indian cinema,” she said.

“To see that choice resonate globally, and to have it acknowledged at a platform like the Pridelands Film Festival, feels incredibly validating—it’s proof that embracing where you come from can become your greatest strength,” the 29-year-old Aishwarya said.

This film has been supported by Anil Agarwal Foundation of Vedanta and Ms Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Ltd and Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc Ltd. They congratulated Aishwarya and her team behind the documentary for the latest achievement and said ”At Vedanta, we are proud to support narratives that deepen our connection with nature and remind us of our shared responsibility to protect it, because what we choose to preserve today will define the world we pass on tomorrow.”

“We filmed Rana for over one and a half years in the Jhalana Leopard Reserve, tracking him day and night through the rugged landscapes of Rajasthan. Every moment was a lesson in patience, perseverance, and respect for the wild. What inspired this project was my love for cinema—especially Bollywood,” Aishwarya said.

“ I wanted to bring the emotional gravitas that is often missing in traditional documentaries into the world of wildlife storytelling. I used the universal language of cinema—emotion, drama, action, and romance—to stylise a wildlife documentary for the first time. From crafting the “romance” between Rana and Flora in a DDLJ-style mustard field sequence, to capturing his triumphs and heartbreaks with cinematic flair, our goal was to make audiences feel for Rana, not just observe him,” she said.

“Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without my incredible field team- Cameraman- Kenneth Lawrence, Field producer—Hemant Dabi and his team, who worked tirelessly in extreme conditions to keep track of Rana every single day. Their dedication and resilience made this film possible. Working across three time zones—with my editor-Akash Gulati, edit producer Julie Busse in the USA, my executive producers – Sabine Holzer and Brigit Petersand my producer Jacqueline Farmer in France—was no small feat. But our shared vision kept us together: to push the boundaries of natural history storytelling and create a film that is as entertaining as it is meaningful,” Aishwarya said.

“I would like to thank my co-production partners Terra Mater Studios, Ouragan Films, ARTE G.E.I.E, Ushuaia TV and Anil Agarwal Foundation by Vedanta for supporting this film and believing in the vision of this project,” she concluded.