​Acclaimed 1st Assistant Director Sridhar “Sid” Rasthapuram boasts numerous achievements to his name. Perhaps foremost among these is his work in public service announcements for government agencies such as the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Coast Guard. He has also made lead and critical contributions to an array of distinguished short films and still photography productions that all emphasize his technical expertise and savvy with crews of creative professionals.

Mr. Rasthapuram hails from Hyderabad, India, a city famous as host to Ramoji Film City—the largest film studio in the world. His inclination towards the world of cinema started when his father gave him a Kodak 535 star camera for his fifth birthday. With this simple tool, he began to capture the beauty of his city and his family and, from a studio near his house, began to learn how to convert the film reel into photos.

As his expertise in sharing his vision and feelings with others grew, Mr. Rasthapuram’s passion turned toward drawing cartoons on every surface he could find. Soon that fascination blended with his love of the camera and he became interested in the art of animation. As he grew older, his father began to take him to see films in one of Hyderabad’s many cinemas. The experience affected him powerfully, and he became a regular at the cinema in his neighborhood to the point that the ushers taped off his preferred seat so that no one would sit there.

Seeing this obsessive interest in films, Mr. Rasthapuram’s father next introduced him to a Panasonic DMC-FT1, which could capture videos underwater. Mr. Rasthapuram started filming, and his favorite subjects included swimming pools, artificial fountains, or any water body. His search for the beauty of light through water also led him to capture small moments between friends, family, and strangers.

His growing interest in moving stories rather than single pictures again drew him back to animation and he joined Anim Arts: Animation College to feed his appetite for animation, as it was rare to find such an opportunity in India, let alone in Hyderabad. Following his graduation, he worked as a 2D/3D Artist for a variety of productions and organizations in many sectors.