v.t. nayani

v.t. nayani is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller and polymath. she started as a classically trained bharathanatyam and indo-contemporary dancer, as well as a writer and performer in theatre, before moving into film, television, commercial, and installation work. she now weaves between directing, writing, and performing. her storytelling explores how we continuousy come of age.

her 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).

nayani is an alumni of Film Independent's Episodic Lab ('24), The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Directors Program for Women (‘22), The Canadian Film Centre's Directors' Lab (‘21), as well as BIPOC TV & Film's Showrunner Bootcamp ('22) and Directors’ Masterclass (‘23). currently, she is a selected participant in the European Film Market's 2025 Fiction Toolbox Programme. nayani is also an alumni of CBC's Workshop for Diverse Creators, HotDocs’ Doc Accelerator Program, Reelworld Film Festival's Emerging 20 Program, and BlackStar Film Festival's William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar. as an artist, nayani has been championed by local and global platforms including Telefilm Canada, The Gotham, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Netflix, L’Oréal Paris, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, AWID, Women Deliver, and Women of the World. notably, she is a recipient of the UN Women Yvonne M. Hebert Award for media makers.

in addition to her artistic practice, nayani remains committed to supporting her creative community. 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 worked as a workshop programmer and facilitator, mentor artist, and juror for various festivals and arts institutions. in 2023, she was an invited jury member for the 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), helping 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. in 2024, she served on the International Jury for the Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival. presently, she is supporting as a mentor for NewFest and Concord's 2025 Sound & Scene Short Film Initiative.

outside of her work in production, nayani is also an experienced public speaker, as well as certified full-spectrum doula and hatha yoga instructor, completing her training with Shafia M. Monroe at the International Center for Traditional Childbearing and Heather Greaves at Body Therapies Yoga Training. nayani also completed her Bachelor of Journalism (Radio & Television Broadcasting) at Toronto Metropolitan University and an M.A. Interdisciplinary Studies at York University.

currently, nayani's slate includes her sophomore feature and two original television series, including SHAME, in which she will also star. she is also in early development for her next multidisciplinary installation project HOW WELL.