Nayani Thiyagarajah

Nayani Thiyagarajah is a director, producer, and writer with a passion for storytelling on screen.

She holds a Bachelor of Journalism (Broadcasting) from Ryerson University and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from York University, specializing in cinema/cultural production, diaspora, and gender and feminist studies.

Nayani's first feature documentary, 'Shadeism: Digging Deeper' (2015), received critical acclaim, premiering at the Zanzibar International Film Festival and winning the Special Jury Prize.

She is an alumna of prestigious programs like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Workshop for Diverse Creators, HotDocs Canadian International Documentary Festival's Doc Accelerator Program, and The Remix Project.

Nayani is Co-Founder/Director at (UN)Learn, a platform promoting (un)learning through film and digital content, and also involved with organizations like the Society of DirectHERS and ProduceHERS, supporting women storytellers and leaders in the film and television industry.

Born into the Tamil diaspora, Nayani Thiyagarajah considers Toronto her home and values the power of love in all aspects of her life.