Ani Thomas

Ani Thomas is a filmmaker and scholar whose research sits at the intersection of continental philosophy of mind, film theory, and digital media aesthetics. His philosophical interests centre on theories of temporality and consciousness — particularly Bergson’s durée, Deleuze’s virtual/actual ontology, and Spinoza’s immanent philosophy of affect — and on the question of how these frameworks illuminate the material and computational conditions of contemporary cinema and artificial intelligence. He is Faculty at the Media Lab, École Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Film Direction from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, and a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from the University of Pune. He has worked as a screenwriter, editor, and director across commercials, feature films, and documentaries, with work selected for national and international festivals, and has held positions as Creative Head of Feature Films at Katson Motion Pictures, Mumbai, and as founding head of the Film Direction department at LV Prasad Film and TV Academy, Thiruvananthapuram.

• Ph.D. (Submitted) — 2021–2026; Mahindra University. Thesis: Cinema and Consciousness: The Rhizomatic Durée Framework for Temporal Synthesis in Film, Cognition, and AI. Supervisor: Prof. Salome Benhur.
• FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) Training Course in Film Preservation and Restoration (2015).
• Post Graduate Diploma in Film Direction (2002–2006), Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.
• Master’s Degree in Communication Studies, Video Production Specialisation (1999–2001), Department of Communication Studies, University of Pune.
• B.Sc. Visual Communication (1996–1999), Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• Thomas, A., & Chandy, S. A. (2026). Designing Affective Multiplicities: A Bergsonian-Deleuzian Framework for Ethical Praxis in Global Media. Methaodos. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 14(1), m261401a02. https://doi.org/10.17502/mrcs.v14i1.925
• Thomas, A., & Benhur, S. (2026). Temporal Architecture in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’: A Bergsonian Analysis of Reader Experience. Journal of the Georgia Philological Association, 13(Special Issue: The Nineteenth Century), 108–140. ISBN: 978-1-105-68984-0
• Thomas, A., & Benhur, S. (2025). Reimagining Cinema: Durée, Perception, and Participation. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies, 27(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44428-025-00004-w
• Thomas, A. (2025). Beyond the Turing Test: A Bergsonian Exploration of Proto-Consciousness in Large Language Models. Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness, 1–40. https://doi.org/10.1142/S27050785245000975. Thomas, A. (2024). Deconstructing the Moving Image: Towards a Multifaceted Definition of Cinema. The Research Space: National Journal of Arts and Humanities, 1(1), 7–19. ISSN: 3048-7528.

Book Chapters and Other Publications

• Thomas, A. (2024). Beyond Chronology: Narratives as Expressions of Bergsonian Time. In C. Anupama & A. Mathew (Eds.), Redefining Narratives: Contemporary Perspectives and Representations (pp. 39–49). Women’s Christian College, Chennai. ISBN: 978-81-958002-4-7.

Forthcoming / Accepted for Publication

• Thomas, A., & Chandy, S. A. Affective Flows in Global Media: A Bergsonian-Deleuzian Exploration of Digital Design and Cultural Resonance. Accepted for publication in Conference Proceedings of The International Media Conference on Global Dialogues in Communication Design (Taylor & Francis, forthcoming).

Conference Presentations

• . Thomas, A., & Rajaram, B. (2024). Evolving Interactions: Can AI Foster a ‘Presence of the Present’ in Interactive Media? Paper presented at the 25th Annual Conference of the Society for Phenomenology and Media, Tallinn University, Estonia, 14–19 May 2024.
• Thomas, A. (2024). The Living Narrative: Intersecting Durée, Evolving Codes, and the Unwritten Contract. Paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference of the Georgia Philological Association, Middle Georgia State University, Georgia, USA, 17–18 May 2024.
• Thomas, A. (2024). Beyond Chronology: Narratives as Expressions of Bergsonian Time. Paper presented at the International Conference on Redefining Narratives: Contemporary Perspectives and Representations, Women’s Christian College, Chennai, 5–6 February 2024.
• Thomas, A. (2024). Beyond Fragments, Beyond Unity: Embracing Multiplicity in the Cinematic Durée. Paper presented at CREATIVE-2024: Contemporary Representations of Art, Theatre, Image and Visual Expressions — Interdisciplinary International Conference of Art and Culture, Department of Rabindra Sangit, Dance and Drama, Sangit Bhavana Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, 26–27 March 2024.
• Thomas, A. (2025). Textual Flux: Deleuzian Deterritorialization and Bergsonian Becoming in Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. Paper presented at the Twentieth Annual Meeting of the Georgia Philological Association (Online).
• Thomas, A., & Chandy, S. A. (2025). Affective Flows in Global Media: A Bergsonian-Deleuzian Exploration of Digital Design and Cultural Resonance. Paper presented at The International Media Conference on Global Dialogues in Communication Design, Kristu Jayanti College in collaboration with Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland (Hybrid — presented online). [Paper selected for publication in Taylor & Francis Conference Proceedings.]
• Chandy, S. A., & Thomas, A. (2025). A Dynamic Framework for Professional Development: Merging Piaget and Vygotsky in Organizational Learning. Paper presented at the International Conference on Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing for Industry 5.0, Malla Reddy Engineering College, Hyderabad.

Filmmaking and Creative Work

• Selected Films (as Director / Editor / Producer)
• I Am That I Am (PSA – Short Film, 2017). Concept, Director & Editor. Commissioned by NISH (National Institute of Speech and Hearing), funded by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Siddham… Siddhan… (Documentary, 2017). Director & Editor. Fellowship, Public Service Broadcast Trust (PSBT).
• Memories and Forgetfulness (52-minute Documentary, 2012). Director & Editor. Film Fellowship Grant, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting / PSBT.
• Shahabad Express (72-minute Documentary, 2013). Editor. Directed by Rajesh K.
• Rang (Feature Film, 2011). Executive Producer. Produced by the Film and Television Institute of India.
• Chor Chor Super Chor (Hindi Feature Film, 2012–13; released 2013). Creative Director & Co-Writer. Produced by Katson Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd. [Official Selection: Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2013; Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart 2013; Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2014.]
• And, So Came A Day (35mm, 22 min, Fiction, 2006). Director. [Premiere: International Film Festival of Kerala 2006.]
• Once Upon A Time (12 min, Documentary, 2004). Director. [Official Selection, Indian Panorama, International Film Festival of India, Goa 2004.]
• Multiple TVCs and corporate films for agencies including O&M, Bates, Ambience Publicis, Solutions–Digitas, and Aegis Doosra, for brands including Perfetti, Yamaha Gladiator, ITC, IPOL etc. (2006–2011).
• Selected Screenplays
• Urban Moon — Urban Noir thriller. Producer: Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt Ltd. [Official Selection: Film Bazaar 2010, NFDC; Producer’s Lab, International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2011.]
• Chor Chor Super Chor (2013, Director: K. Rajesh) — Comedy feature. Released 2013.
• Vivash — Associate Scriptwriter. Adaptation of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Screenplay funded by Hubert Bal Foundation, Rotterdam.
• Kathe ithuvare — Script Doctor/Consultant. Malayalam Feature Film, Director K. Rajesh (2020–21).

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4349-429X

Academic / Teaching Experience

• Faculty, Media Lab, École Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad. September 2018 – Present.
• Faculty & Department In-Charge, Film Direction, L.V. Prasad Film & TV Academy, Thiruvananthapuram. August 2014 – August 2018.
• Mentor & Academic Coordinator, Children’s Film Academy (supported by BFI & Cinémathèque Française). 2008 – 2018.

Industry Experience

• Creative Head, Feature Films, Katson Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. October 2010 – December 2013.
• Founding Partner & Creative Consultant, Auralmayhem (sound post-production — editing and design). January 2010 – December 2013.
• Freelance Screenwriter, Consultant, and Director. Since September 2007.
• Creative Consultant and Ad Film Director, Nomad Films, Mumbai. June 2006 – August 2007.

Doctoral Research

• Thesis Title: Cinema and Consciousness: The Rhizomatic Durée Framework for Temporal Synthesis in Film, Cognition, and AI Supervisor: Prof. Salome Benhur, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, École Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University. Status: Submitted (2026). Viva voce pending.

Research Interests

• Continental philosophy of mind: Bergson, Spinoza, Deleuze/Guattari — theories of temporality, affect, and immanence.
• Philosophy of film and moving-image theory: cinematic time, temporal synthesis, viewer cognition, immersive and interactive media.
• Artificial intelligence and consciousness studies: machine durée, proto-consciousness, LLM inference architecture, AI ethics.
• Process ontology and new materialism: substrate-neutral frameworks for consciousness, non-human agency, and emergent subjectivity.
• Digital media aesthetics: algorithmic governance, affective flows, cultural resonance in global digital platforms.
• Design theory: design thinking, organisational learning, and professional development frameworks.