v.t. nayani

v.t. nayani is a multidisciplinary artist and storyteller. she started her creative journey as a classically trained bharathanatyam and indo-contemporary dancer, as well as writer and performer in theatre, before moving into film, television, new media, commercial, and installation work.

v.t. is an alumni of the CBC's Workshop for Diverse Creators, HotDocs’ Doc Accelerator Program, Reelworld Film Festival's Emerging 20 Program, and BlackStar Film Festival's William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar. she is also a recent alumni of the Canadian Film Centre’s Directors' Lab (Norman Jewison Film Program), the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's Directors Program for Women, and BIPOC TV & Film's Showrunner Bootcamp and Directors Masterclass with DGC President Warren P. Sonoda.

as part of the filmmaking and wider arts community, her work extends outside her efforts as an independent storyteller. in 2021, she was invited to be a commissioning editor for Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival's 25th anniversary anthology (re)Rites of Passage: Asian Canada in Motion. she has also served on multiple juries for arts councils, community arts organizations, and film festivals. most recently, she served as an invited jury member for the 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), helping to select the Best Canadian Feature Film Award, as well as the Amplify Voices Awards for Best BIPOC Feature Film and Best BIPOC First Feature Film. 

over the course of her career, v.t. has been championed as a storyteller and artist by platforms including Telefilm Canada, The Gotham, CBC, Netflix, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council. her work has also been supported by festivals including TIFF Next Wave, Hot Docs, Women of the World, Women Deliver, Inside Out, Zanzibar International Film Festival, and Regent Park Film Festival. she is also a recipient of the UN Women Yvonne M. Hebert Award for media makers. from 2018 - 2022, v.t. proudly served on the board of Breakthroughs Film Festival - the only festival in Canada dedicated to showcasing short work by women and gender-diverse filmmakers.

v.t’s award-winning feature directorial debut This Place, co-written with Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs and Golshan Abdmoulaie, had its World Premiere at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (Discovery Programme). the film has since screened at Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival (international premiere), Freiburger Lesbenfilmtage (european premiere), Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival (u.s. premiere), FRAMELINE: San Francisco LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Outfest LA Film Festival, BlackStar Film Festival, Vancouver Queer Film Festival (winner, people’s choice award: canadian feature), NewFest: The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Seattle Queer Film Festival, and IFFI Goa (asian premiere). the film is also now out digitally and on-demand in canada (all platforms), the u.k. (Amazon Prime, Bohemia Euphoria), and the u.s.a. & the caribbean (Freestyle Digital Media).

outside of her work in production, v.t. is also an experienced public speaker and workshop facilitator, as well as certified full-spectrum doula and hatha yoga instructor. she completed her training with Shafia M. Monroe at the International Center for Traditional Childbearing and Heather Greaves at Body Therapies Yoga Training.

currently, v.t. is in development for her sophomore feature and two original television series. she is also in early development for her next multidisciplinary installation, HOW WELL.