Photography and cinematography faculty
A Gurukul for the 21st century.
At Creative Hut, learning follows the timeless Gurukul way, a place where students live and learn with their faculty under one roof. Yet it is also a Gurukul for a modern age, blending new technology, a structured syllabus, and dedicated faculty who are present day and night.
Our photography and cinematography faculty do more than teach the craft of filmmaking or communication design. They shape character. They believe that if you become a good person, you will naturally become a better cinematographer, designer, or storyteller.
Explore the photography and cinematography courses they teach, the Diploma in AI Filmmaking, life in the Gurukul, and the alumni they have trained.
Residential mentorshipOne to one guidanceAvailable day and night
The lead faculty
The faculty who lead every batch
Two mentors who live the Gurukul life alongside every batch. As lead photography and cinematography faculty, they hold the standard for craft and for character.
Abin Alex
Master In Design (M.Des) · MBA (Design Management) · M.Sc Visual Communication · Honorary Doctorate in Photography
Director · Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film
Filmmaker. Photojournalist. Educator. The faculty who built the Gurukul.
Abin Alex founded and directs Creative Hut Academy in Kottayam, Kerala, and pioneered its residential Gurukul model of film education. He helped shape the KGTE curriculum in Photography in 2017. He directed Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film made inside a film school, crewed by twenty students. He has directed more than ten documentaries, mentored over a hundred productions, guided a portfolio of more than 520 works, and taught over a thousand students. He served as an official Canon Photo Mentor for eight years and is founding chairman of the National Education and Research Foundation.
- Tradition and technology, togetherResidential mentorship where timeless values meet AI era tools.
- Portfolio first, alwaysReal shoots, real edits, real industry workflows.
- Cross disciplinary masteryPhotography, cinematography, design, editing, and AI content creation under one roof.
- Structured growth pathFrom ideation to shoot to edit to deliver, every stage reviewed.
Become a good person, and you will become a good Visual Communicator.
Thirty seats.
15+ states.
One campus.
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Anu Joseph
B.Sc (PCM) · Master In Design (M.Des) · M.A Journalism and Mass Communication
Associate Director · Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film
Mentor. Visual educator. A communication guide for a modern creative life.
Anu Joseph brings both academic depth and hands on mentorship to Creative Hut’s Gurukul life, with 16 years in visual media education. With a foundation in Science, Design, and Communication, she helps students bridge logic with creativity. She served as Associate Director on Rising Embers, guiding students through a full feature production. Her teaching blends storytelling, journalism, and visual design so learners think clearly, design meaningfully, and communicate with impact.
- Guided by designStructured learning rooted in both creative and analytical thinking.
- Communication at the coreFrom journalism to design, shaping voices that inform and inspire.
- Holistic mentorshipDay and night guidance in a true residential learning community.
- Values into skillsBuilding not only professionals, but responsible human beings.
Clarity, discipline, and empathy turn creativity into lifelong craft.
Visiting faculty and mentors
Visiting photography and cinematography faculty
Photographers, cinematographers, writers, and conservationists, each bringing a craft mastered over years. Several are Creative Hut alumni who returned to guide the next generation.
Prithesh Rao
A prominent Indian professional photographer with over three decades in the industry, who moved from electronic engineering to elite commercial photography. An award winning graduate of Sir J.J. School of Art, he runs a commercial studio across fashion, corporate, and commissioned work, and serves as Academic Head for photography at Pearl Academy Mumbai and the Lemark Institute of Art and Design.
30+ yearsCanon EOS Maestro
Sagar Gosavi
A celebrated Indian wildlife photographer, cinematographer, and conservationist, renowned for documenting rare species in remote terrain such as the Trans Himalayas and Arunachal Pradesh. He has photographed more than eight hundred species of birds and captured rare footage of snow leopards in the Spiti Valley. He founded SGP Photo Tours and Expeditions and has spoken at TEDx.
20 yearsCanon EOS Maestro800+ bird species
Fr. Joseph Thekkummattathil, OCD
An acclaimed Malayalam lyricist and scriptwriter, Media Commission Director for the OCD Malabar Province and Assistant Manager of St. Joseph’s Press. He has written more than twenty songs, and wrote the lyrics for all eight songs in the Rising Embers AI feature film, mentoring students in lyric writing, scriptwriting, and cinema sound design.
6 years20+ songs8 songs, Rising Embers
Rahul Rao
A creative producer and photographer with over eight years of industry experience across visual storytelling, product photography, filmmaking, and digital content. At Zwende he has created more than twenty five thousand product visuals. He is co founder of Hush Hues Studio.
8+ years25,000+ product visualsCreative Hut Alumni
Punnia Jones
A newborn photographer with over eight years of experience in newborn and maternity work. A former NICU nurse, she brings rare expertise in newborn safety and handling to every session, and has photographed more than four thousand newborn babies. She currently heads Hush Hues Studio.
8+ years4,000+ newbornsFormer NICU nurseCreative Hut Alumni
Ahamed Shaheen S
An automotive filmmaker and commercial cinematographer, founder of Scene Six Studios, known for high end automotive and wedding work. A Creative Hut alumnus who returned as visiting faculty, he mentors students in cinematography, gimbal work, and editing.
5 yearsScene Six StudiosCreative Hut Alumni
Pranav Jose Narisetty
AI cinematographer and content creator with three years in the field, currently at 11fps. A Creative Hut graduate who works across AI-driven imaging, cinematography and short-form content.
3 years11fpsCreative Hut Alumni
Faculty, answered.
Who teaches at Creative Hut Academy?
Abin Alex, Founder and Director, and Anu Joseph, Associate Director, lead every batch. Visiting photography and cinematography faculty join them, including Prithesh Rao and Sagar Gosavi.
Do the faculty live with the students?
Yes. Creative Hut follows the Gurukul way, where students live and learn with their faculty under one roof, and faculty are present day and night.
Is there one to one guidance?
Yes. Residential mentorship and one to one guidance are part of every batch, available day and night.
Who are the visiting faculty?
Photographers, cinematographers, writers and conservationists, each with a craft mastered over years. Several are Creative Hut alumni who returned to guide the next generation.
Who directed Rising Embers?
Abin Alex directed Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film made inside a film school, with Anu Joseph as Associate Director. It was crewed by twenty students.