Sikhlens Global Filmmaker Network

Looking for a project? Be found for Sikh stories where you live.

When a Sikh story needs a filmmaker nearby, Sikhlens wants to call someone local instead of flying a crew in from far away. Join so that work can find you. You can be Sikh or not. We review every profile before it goes public, and your email and phone stay private unless you choose to show them.

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Spotlight

Hansjeet Duggal

Beverly Hills, United States

Directors and producers, Animators and photographers, Researchers

Hansjeet Duggal teaches advanced VFX production and animation technology at Chapman University, bringing direct experience from leading large-scale international production teams and working on prestige film and television projects. His work examines the intersection of creative vision, production infrastructure and emerging technology — specifically how AI-assisted tools reshape the economics and feasibility of episodic visual effects work. His feature and streaming credits include visual effects work on Avatar: The Way of Water, The Accountant 2, The Instigators (Apple TV+), Air (Amazon), Unstoppable (Amazon), The Greatest Love Story Never Told (Amazon) and Small Things Like These (Hulu), alongside documentary work for PBS and numerous independent animated shorts and features where he has served as animation director. At Artists Equity, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, Duggal built and managed a VFX studio spanning two international territories, scaling from zero to 87 artists while implementing an AI-first production pipeline that improved efficiency by 30-40% without compromising visual quality. This work bridged creative direction, technical problem-solving and cross-cultural team dynamics, the core challenges his students encounter in professional practice. In the classroom, Duggal teaches the realities of production: how budgets constrain and enable creative choice, how distributed teams operate across time zones and cultures. His pedagogy emphasizes the symbiotic relationship between technical mastery and creative leadership — the skills that distinguish supervisors from technicians. Duggal holds an MFA in film production from Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and an MS in animation design from Birla Institute of Technology. He currently operates as an independent consultant, delivering AI-led strategy, pipeline architecture and operational systems for animation and VFX studios. He is building an AI-first production pipeline for a new studio across four international territories from zero — a system he has built twice, measured and scaled. His broader practice includes work with a media collective focused on authentic representation of South Asian and diaspora narratives in film and television.

Questions

Why should I join?+

Sikhlens looks for filmmakers near the story. If you join, a project in your city can find you instead of flying a crew in from somewhere else. When someone wants to connect, Sikhlens checks the note first. If we send it, you both get the email, and you decide whether to reply.

Who can join?+

Filmmakers and other media people who want to be found for Sikh stories. You can be Sikh or not.

What do people see?+

Your name, city and country, photo, a short bio, up to three jobs, up to three credits, skills, languages, website, YouTube, IMDb, and social links. Only after Sikhlens reviews the profile.

Who sees my email and phone?+

Nobody on the public page. Sikhlens uses them to reach you. A request waits for a Sikhlens check. If we send it, you and the person who wrote it both get the email. You decide whether to reply.

When does my profile go on the site?+

After someone at Sikhlens approves it. Sending the form does not publish it. If we publish it, you join the Sikhlens mailing list.

How do I find someone?+

Use Search the network. Look by name, city, country, or the kind of work they do. Open a profile and send a request. We check it before it goes to that person.