Film Director | Medicine · Neuroscience · AI | Responsible Innovation | Cultural Leader

Fagun Thakrar trained as a doctor, studied medicine and neuroscience at University College London, one of the world's leading medical schools. And then she did something no one expected — she became a filmmaker.

It started with a question she couldn't let go of: if the human brain is wired to learn through story and image, why do we keep trying to change people's minds with data and argument? That question led her out of the lab, into the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, through a film directing programme in the United States, a master's at the University of the Arts London, and an MBA at the University of Cambridge.

Five degrees, each one a different lens on the same problem: how do you take something complex and make people genuinely feel it?

She's been answering that question ever since. As an actor, she has starred opposite Academy Award winners in films released internationally and selected at major festivals including Cannes. She founded The Purpose Movie Studio to create films and documentaries that drive positive change worldwide.

Now she's taking on the biggest subject of our time. Fagun is directing a global AI documentary — bringing together leading voices in artificial intelligence alongside human stories from communities around the world, exploring how these technologies are reshaping our minds, our values, and our shared future.

Her work extends beyond film. She founded The Creatively Inspired Life Foundation to open doors for underserved young people through creativity. She serves as a Global Ambassador for the Women's Brain Project. She has worked with the United Nations and Amnesty International.

BAFTA honoured her on their Newcomers Program for international rising stars. She won the BBC's nationwide search for new talent. She was featured alongside Dame Judi Dench in a book chronicling eight decades of British actors on stage and screen.

In 2023, the World Economic Forum selected her as a Young Global Leader, among the world's most promising