The Shorenstein Center

Team

Khushboo Ranka

Fellowship

Term

Khushboo Ranka is a Mumbai-based filmmaker known for AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN (2016), which became India’s highest-grossing political documentary. It premiered at TIFF, BFI, and over 55 international festivals, winning multiple awards, including the Doc Impact Hi5 Award for its groundbreaking campaign. She co-wrote SHIP OF THESEUS (2012), a philosophical exploration of identity and ethics, which won the National Award for Best Film and was celebrated at numerous international festivals.

Khushboo directed India’s first Virtual Reality Documentary, RIGHT TO PRAY (2016), which premiered at TIFF and Sheffield. She was also editor-in-chief of ElseVR, India’s first VR platform, producing several pioneering VR documentaries. Her first short film, CONTINUUM, won Best Short Film at the Hannover Film Festival. Most recently, she produced WHILE WE WATCHED, a Peabody and Henry Award-winning documentary on journalist Ravish Kumar, which won top awards at TIFF, Sheffield, and Sydney Film Festival.

Beyond filmmaking, she has been actively involved in mobilizing resources for nonfiction storytelling and content. Her latest project is a pulpy, noir-inspired detective series set in a fictional Indian town—a world of crime, rebellion, and shifting power dynamics—that explores autonomy, morality, and tradition in a rapidly changing landscape.

While at Shorenstein, Khushboo will explore how a new generation of creators is turning to digital platforms—particularly YouTube—to tell urgent, investigative, and socially resonant stories.

Related Content

Related Events

See All Events

Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing

Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing

Join BISG for a virtual book talk with Leslie K. John, Harvard Business School Professor and author of Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing.

Event

Zoom webinar
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Split graphic: text “Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing” with Leslie John, alongside a smiling blonde woman’s headshot and a BISG logo.
Inside SAM.gov: An Open Data Demo for Journalists

Inside SAM.gov: An Open Data Demo for Journalists

This session is a hands-on demo, not a panel discussion on SAM.gov — the federal government’s System for Award Management.

Event

Zoom webinar
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Promotional graphic with the text “Inside SAM.gov: An Open Data Demo for Journalists” in white on a dark blue background, featuring a stylized beam of light and The Journalist’s Resource logo in the bottom right.
2026 Goldsmith Awards Ceremony

2026 Goldsmith Awards Ceremony

A celebration of journalism and storytelling that impact public policy and the functioning of government.

Event

JFK Jr. Forum
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Graphic with a dark gray background displaying the text “Goldsmith Awards” in large white letters, with a stylized gold-and-white shape inside the “o.” Below, in smaller gold text, it reads: “HKS | April 9, 2026 | 6pm.”
The Economic Consequences of the Iran War

The Economic Consequences of the Iran War

Join The Journalist’s Resource and EconoFact for an hour-long webinar on the current and potential economic consequences of the current war in Iran.

Event

Zoom Webinar
11:30 AM

an image of oil barrels, illustrating one of the economic consequences of the war in Iran, with the Shorenstein Center and Journalist's Resource logos in a bar at the top
Book Talk with Julia Minson (“How to Disagree Better”)

Book Talk with Julia Minson (“How to Disagree Better”)

Join decision scientist and Shorenstein Center resident faculty member Julia Minson for a conversation about her new book, How to Disagree Better, to learn evidence-based techniques on how to transform every disagreement into an opportunity for growth.

Event

Zoom Webinar
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Book cover of How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson beside a headshot of the author smiling in an indoor setting.
Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with Ken Burns

Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with Ken Burns

Attend the 2026 Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with preeminent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Shorenstein Center Director, Nancy Gibbs, will hold a fireside chat with Burns in the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School.

Event

JFK Jr. Forum, HKS
6:00 PM

Photo of Ken Burns sitting in a rustic wood paneled space with an american flag in the background.