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, commercial, and installation work. she now weaves between directing, writing, and performing. her storytelling explores how we repeatedly come of age.

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), and BIPOC TV & Film's Showrunner Bootcamp ('22) and Directors’ Masterclass (‘23). she 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. most recently, she was selected as a quarter-finalist for the 2024 Moonshot Pilot Accelerator, as well the CineStory Foundation's 2024 Feature Retreat & Fellowship. 

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.

as an artist, nayani has been championed by platforms including Telefilm Canada, The Gotham, Netflix, L'Oréal Paris, AWID, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council. her work has been programmed by festivals including TIFF Next Wave, Hot Docs, ArtReach Toronto Nuit Blanche Toronto, 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.

nayani'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, nayani is also an experienced public speaker, 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, nayani is in development for 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.