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Educational Background

Ph.D. Transcultural Studies, University of Calgary

[2017-2023]

  • Dissertation title: “Off-Screen Perspectives: India’s Independent Film Production Culture”

  • Brief description: This dissertation combines archival, industrial, and cultural analysis, alongside bottom-up methods such as personal interviews and participant observation to gain deeper insights into the film policies, practices, and professionals — making and facilitating Indian independent cinema transnationally since 2007.

  • Supervisor: Dr. Charles Tepperman 

  • Awarded the 2021 Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship ($ 15, 000)

Erasmus Mundus M.A. Crossways in Cultural Narratives, Université de
Perpignan, University of Sheffield, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela

[2015-2017]

  • Thesis title: Precarious Pleasures

  • The thesis explored the theme of adolescence in cinema through comparative

  • approaches.

  • Received 2015 Erasmus Mundus Scholarship (€ 30,000)

M.Phil. French and Francophone Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

[2013-2015]

  • Thesis title: The Female Body: Between History, Heritage and Horror

  • The thesis focused on francophone African cinema through a postcolonial and feminist lens.

M.A. French and Francophone Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

[2010-2012]

  • Thesis title: “The Orientalist Discourse: A Comparative Study of Mircea Eliade’s The Bengali Night (1988) and Maitreyi Devi’s It Does Not Die (1976)”

  • The thesis examined French and Indian literary texts using comparative and postcolonial approaches.

B.A. English Literature, University of Delhi

[2007-2010]

Work Experience

Marie Sklodowska-Curie YUFE4 Postdoc Fellow, Department of Communication Studies, University of Antwerp

2024 – Current

  • Research focuses on labour practices, processes, and policies of film professionals behind the circulation of India’s independent cinema amidst digital transformations of media industries.

Research Assistant (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary

02/2023 – 06/2023

  • Conducted extensive literature review on anti-racism and decolonization in higher education and collected, analyzed, and presented data about policies, processes and best practices of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at 15 research-intensive universities in Canada.

Media Research Intern and Project Lead (TELUS Optik TV), Calgary

04/2021 – 10/2022

  • Collected media content, data, and resources about the Alberta film industry, as well as collaborated with academic and industry partners to produce the documentary, “Through Her Eyes” on navigating healthcare as Black, Indigenous and Women of Colour in Canada.

Sessional Instructor, University of Calgary

01/2021 – 04/2021

  • Designed and sole-taught French language course to 35 undergraduate students usinginnovative mindfulness techniques in second language learning.

Graduate Assistant, University of Calgary

08/2020

  • Facilitated an online group discussion on the representation of the Holocaust in cinema for 65 students, assisted the classes and graded over a hundred assignments during the pandemic.

Research Assistant, University of Calgary

09/2019 – 12/2019

  • Conducted a literature of over 50 academic works on Québec Cinema.

Sessional Instructor, University of Calgary

09/2018 – 12/2018

  • Taught and graded a French language class of over 30 students of diverse backgrounds and learning styles using inclusive materials.

Published Articles 

Bhatia, Neha. "Creativity, Passion, and Community: The Rise of India’s Transnational Producers." NECS_European Journal of Media Studies, Jg. 12 (2023), Nr. 2, S. 272-291. http://dx.doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/21715.

Bhatia, Neha. "The Transnational Tales of an Indian Creative Producer." Transnational Screens 13, no. 3 (2022): 234-248.
https://doi.org/10.1080/25785273.2022.2109846

Peltekov, Peter, Neha Bhatia, Berenice Cancino, Samantha Carron, Marie Daigle, et al. “Practice-relevant research in the Canadian L2 classroom: A summary.” Notos, Vol. 14 (2019), 15-36.

Bhatia, Neha. “Politics and Poetics of Culture in Ousmane Sembene’s Moolaadé (2004)." International Refereed Journal of Literary Explorations, Vol. 2 (2014), 474-478.

Article under peer-review

"Transnational Practices, Precarity and Politics: Case Study of Indian Film Bazaar," New Review of Film and Television Studies, 2023 (Revise and Resubmit)

Articles in Preparation

“Perspectives of a Film Programmer: Case of DCunha at Indian Film Bazaar.” (Follow-up Interview with DCunha in Summer 2023)

“Contours of Hindi-language Cinema: Continuity and Change.” (Work in Progress) 

Book Manuscript in Preparation


Inside India’s Alternative Film Distribution World: Transnational Perspectives, MIT Press (Proposal Writing Stage)

Conference Presentations

April 2023

“Transnational Tales of an Indian Creative Producer”, Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS), Denver, United States.

March 2022

Co-chair and Presenter, "Repositioning The National Within Transnational Film Culture", Society for Cinema and Media Studies, Chicago, United States.

March 2022

"The Indian-European Independent Film Co-production Model", Transcultural Production Studies Digital Seminar, Université d'Angers, France.

June 2021

“The Indian Creative Producer”, World Cinema International Conference Cinema of India (Topic of Edition), University Complutense of Madrid, Spain.

April 2021

Co-organizer and Presenter, “Production Stories: A Case Study of The Lunchbox (2013)”, Graduate Forum, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Calgary.

March 2021

Invited Presenter, “Online Teaching Strategies”, Pedagogy Workshop, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Calgary.

February 2021

“New Independent Film Production Culture in India”, Peer Beyond Graduate Research Symposium, University of Calgary.

April 2020

Co-organizer and Presenter, “New Indian Cinema”, Graduate Forum, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Calgary (Postponed due to Covid-19).

January 2018

“Girlhood and Sexuality in Contemporary French and Indian Cinema”, Work in Progress (WiP)  Talks, Language Research Centre, Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary.

June 2018

“Pursuit of Lack” in Maja Milo’s film Klip (2013) 34th  International Conference on Psychology and Arts, Sicily, Italy.

June 2017

“Plurality and Corporeality in F. Ozon’s Young and Beautiful (2013)”, 33rd. International Conference on Psychology and arts, Reims, France.

June 2013

“Le Discours Orientaliste dans La Nuit Bengali (1933) de Mircea Eliade et It Does Not Die (1976) de Maitreyi Devi”, 7th International Conference of Association of Indian Teachers of French, Chennai, India.

August 2013

“Politics and Poetics of Culture” in Ousmane Sembene’s Moolaadé (2004), UGC Sponsored National Seminar, Kerala, India.

Talks Organized

April 6, 2021

 “Making Media (2019)”, Dr. Mark Deuze (Professor, University of Amsterdam), School of Languages, Literatures, Linguistics and Cultures, University of Calgary.

April 22, 2021

“The Affective Paradigm and the Reading of Late Capitalism”, Dr. Mabel Moraña (Professor, Washington University St. Louis), School of Languages, Literatures, Linguistics and Cultures, University of Calgary.

Scholarships and Awards (Selected List)

Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (International)­­

2021-2022

Faculty of Graduate Studies

Best Graduate Academic Paper Award

2017

Psyart Foundation

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship MA Crossways in Cultural Narratives 

2015-2017

Consortium of European Universities

Academic Service

University of Calgary

September 2022

Founder and Co-organizer

Graduate Writing Retreat, Language Research Centre and Calgary Institute of Humanities

September-December 2022

Graduate Student Mentor

International Student Services and Languages, Literatures and Cultures Program

September-November, 2021

Panel Co-Organizer and Co-Chair

"Global Contested Assemblages," Society for Cinema and Media Studies

2021-2022

Graduate Student Representative (Elected Position)

Language Research Centre

Winter, 2020 and 2021

Co-organizer and Moderator

Graduate Forum, Languages, Literatures and Cultures (Graduate Forum 2020 was postponed due to Covid-19)

January 2019 - 2020

Co-editor and Peer-reviewer

Inter-lingua Journal, School of Languages, Literatures, Linguistics & Cultures

Fall, 2019

Organizer

“Transcultural Dialogues in World Cinema Series”

2018-19

Co-President

Vox Condiscipulum, Graduate Student Organization

Community Service

September 2022-March 2023

Co-organizer and Moderator

“Intersectionality Symposium”, Graduate Student Association,

July 2022-Present

Vice Chair Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Graduate Student Association, University of Calgary

June-August 2021

Project Lead and Creative Producer

Through her eyes: Navigating Healthcare as a woman of colour, Alberta and BC

2020-21

Founder and Co-Organizer

“Narratives of Color”, Language Research Centre and Calgary Institute of Humanities, University of Calgary

January-June 2020

Peer-helper

Women’s Resource Centre, University of Calgary

March 1-3, 2020

Student Assistant

"Women at Work" Conference, Career Services and Women's Resources Centre, University of Calgary

September-December 2019

Volunteer Participant

‘Cultivating Compassion Training’ at Faith and Spirituality Centre, University of Calgary

Professional Memberships

European Network for Cinema and Media Studies

Society for Cinema and Media Studies

European Communication Research and Education Association

Film Festival Research Network

Languages Known

English (read, write, speak)

Advanced Level

French (read, write, speak)

Advanced level

Hindi

Native

German

Currently learning

Thank you for viewing my CV. I look forward to hearing from you.

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