Meet the Film Team

DIRECTOR / EDITOR / PRODUCER

Kirthi Nath is a South Asian American lesbian filmmaker who believes that if we want to change our culture, we have to change our stories. This also includes how we tell our stories and who tells it. Over the past 20+ years, Kirthi has established a body of creative work that fluidly straddles genres, occupying a fertile landscape of cultural poetics, intersectional storytelling, social justice and spirituality; Her creative practice roots from a foundation of collaboration, uplifting marginalized voices and art as activism, and actively engages the living question, ‘What does decolonized, women of color, feminist storytelling look like?’ Kirthi’s work has been featured nationwide at festivals such as CAAMfest, SAIFF, Frame, Boston’s Wicked Film Festival, in solo shows at YBCA and ATA, as well as in commissioned projects for V-Day, One Billion Rising, Off the Mat, Teaching Well and Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative (collaborators include Advancement Project, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Demos, Faith in Action,NAACP, National Congress of American Indians, National Urban League, Race Forward, UnidosUS). Kirthi has been awarded CAAM Social Doc Fund, CCI Investing in Arts, V-Day media grant, and was part of the inaugural RePresent Media RETAKE BIPOC Film Fellowship, and is a proud member of BGDM, Bitchitra Collective and A-Doc. Kirthi lives in Oakland with her beloved partner and daughter. Kirthi is the founder and lead filmmaker at Cinemagical Media.

KIRTHI NATH

Pallavi Somusetty

CINEMATOGRAPHER (Main)
Pallavi Somusetty is a cinematographer and director whose films center BIPOC voices in the hope that we feel fully seen, exploring intersections of identity and belonging. Her feature debut in progress, COACH EMILY, is a DocLands DocPitch Industry Award Winner and Athena Pitch Forum Participant. Pallavi’s short doc, Escaping Agra, about a young trans Indian teen’s escape from their family, has screened in festivals across the world. Her award-winning cinematography has appeared on Nat Geo, PBS, Eddie Bauer, and other media outlets.
Sarah Wells

CINEMATOGRAPHER (Main)
Sarah Wells is a cinematographer who has worked on a range of documentary, corporate, music videos and indie films. Her visual work is poetic, evocative and focused on capturing authentic stories.
Vandana Ramakrishna

SOUND DESIGNER & RE-RECORDING ENGINEER

Vandana Ramakrishna is an Indian based sound designer/mixer who creates rich sonic film tapestries. She has worked on several international films, fiction and nonfiction. In 2020, Vandana was awarded CAS and MPSE Awards, is an active member of BGDM and holds a Masters Degree in Direction and Sound for Films and TV.
Jennifer Crystal Chien

CONSULTING PRODUCER
Jennifer Crystal Chien is a queer filmmaker whose films center voices of immigrants and people of color as focal points in complex and layered cultural landscapes. In addition to her own filmmaking, Jennifer is an active film leader— co-founder of Re-Present Media, Board President of Filmmakers Collaborative and Steering Committee member for Bay Area Media Maker Summit— capacities in which she supports other filmmakers. Jennifer is one of DOC NYC's 2022 Documentary New Leaders and her work has been recognized for artistic innovation by the Center for Cultural Innovation.