Shruti Ganguly is an award-winning filmmaker and writer based in Oslo and New York City. Shruti was a member of Obama’s ECCO committee of 30 leaders and creators in entertainment, chairing its Asian Caucus, and is on the Creative Council for Emily's List. She has produced several films (including Spirit-winner H., and the Nora Ephron Prize-winner INITIALS SG) that have premiered Sundance, Venice, Tribeca and Berlin. Shruti has directed videos for Google, Unilever, Nike, Conde Nast, Chanel, and crafted the #MySentence series on prison reform for the Obama Administration. 

In late 2017, Shruti started honto88, a production company that works in a variety of formats - from narrative and doc features to series, and branded content. She launched it with a narrative feature, GREEN DOLPHIN, by director Chris Kenneally and EP Keanu Reeves. Shruti worked for several years with James Franco on films, and produced an experimental art performance with him and Marina Abramovic, called BIRD SHIT, which premiered at the MoMA. Previously, Shruti worked at NYLON, MTV, and Conde Nast, producing the CLIO-winning 73 Questions series. Shruti is currently writing a genre film for Sony, and writing a multi-generational drama for Netflix. She is developing a series on the Harlem Renaissance with Killer Films and MGM. 

Shruti is a co-founder of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective born out of the Women's March that brings together artists and activists to use music and joy as an act of resistance. Shruti is a published writer (Nevertheless They Persisted, Penguin) and a contributing writer for The Juggernaut. Shruti received her Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, and went to NYU's dual MFA/MBA program at Tisch and Stern. She hails from India, by way of Oman, and believes that international stories deserve the specificity and truth, and strategic marketing and distribution plan to travel the world and change the way we exist. 

Rachel Kessler began her career in film directing 20 Baht, a short documentary about child trafficking in Bangkok in 2014 that was instrumental in exposing and indicting a child trafficker. She has since directed a number of short films, music videos, a satirical PSA, and videos for The Wrap, Magnet Media, and Huntington Learning Center. Rachel has produced videos for a wide range of clients including Nike - for their International Women’s Day campaign; Planned Parenthood - for their Unstoppable campaign; Michael Kors - for their upcoming holiday campaign with Bella Hadid and Solomon Diaz; and Pukka Tea - for a series on influencers discussing the healing power of herbs. Rachel also produces in the narrative space, and has made a number of short films including About the People - a story about six figureheads from the Black community discussing anti-Black racism in the United States and possible solutions, starring Michael Kenneth Williams, which is now being optioned for series. Additionally, Rachel is a producer on a number of upcoming feature films and TV shows, with creators such as Shruti Ganguly, Alsihan Unaldi, Kerry Coddett, and Jamie Ruddy. Rachel is currently writing her feature length script Mink’s Holdup — a sci-fi heist set in an alternate reality.

Originally from Atlanta, Rachel studied History at Williams College with a concentration on the History of Liberty in the United States. Her work is centered around themes of liberty, equality and belonging. Currently a resident of Queens, New York, Rachel was a high-school economics teacher at the American International School in Chennai, India before she began her career in Film. Rachel joined the honto88 team in 2018 and is now working at the company as a Producer/Director.

Polina is an associate producer at Honto88. 
Born in Ukraine, raised in Nigeria - she is a New York based filmmaker of many passions and interests. She aspires to tell stories that are diverse and inclusive through integration of new technologies into traditional filmmaking medium. Her skills are flexible enough to switch from pre-production to production, and to editing. Her recent short film “Pool Party” is currently in the festival circuit and won Best Original Story from Independent Shorts Awards. In the meantime, she has produced a number of shorts films, music videos, and animations and recently was an associate producer on a documentary that premiered at Sundance. When Polina isn’t on set or in pre-production, she is running all of honto88’s social media and managing this very website!

Born and raised in the land of Bollywood, Mumbai; Saniya has always been captivated by the arts. She has worked in production for several Hindi film production companies and has written various articles for The Quint, India. Currently based in New York, Saniya is involved with producing media for the “SAHI movement” that started at Yale University to amplify marginalized voices within the South Asian community. Saniya believes that filmmaking is a medium of social change and is determined to create content that is inclusive and socially positive. She is also currently developing her short film, “Any Given Night” which is a dark comedy that deals with the issues of women’s safety.