Manjari Makijany

Manjari is an Indian Writer-Director based in Los Angeles. Her debut feature, DESERT DOLPHIN was acquired by Netflix and is slated for a worldwide release in 2021. She is directing SPIN for Disney, staring Avantika Vandanapu (Diary of a Future President, Mira, Royal Detective). SPIN is feature set to begin production in Toronto fall 2020 and is slated to premiere on the Disney Channel in 2021. She was one of eight directors chosen to do AFI's Directing Workshop for Women where she wrote and directed I SEE YOU, an action drama, which won the 40th Asian American International Film Festival in New York and was awarded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation Grant and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Grant. She was one of few filmmakers handpicked by the studio system for the UNIVERSAL PICTURES DIRECTORS INTENSIVE program and the inaugural FOX FILMMAKERS LAB. Manjari completed UCLA's Professional Screenwriters Program, where she developed her feature screenplay, 'City of Gold'. The script was nominated for the Nate Wilson's Joie De Vivre Award in 2015. Her early work as an assistant gave her the opportunity to learn under incredible filmmakers including Christopher Nolan on DUNKIRK, Patty Jenkins on WONDER WOMAN and Vishal Bhardwaj. Her credits as a 2nd-2nd Assistant Director include THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4, Disney's Hexxe-Lilli and Bollywood features like SAAT KHOON MAAF, WAKE UP SID and GANDHI OF THE MONTH starring Harvey Keitel. The vibrant theatre scene in Mumbai was Manjari's introduction to storytelling. Daughter of Bollywood actor, Mac Mohan and cousin of actress Raveena Tandon, Manjari grew up in a film family with her mind set on being a director early on. Manjari's foray into writing and directing for screen began with a 7-minute silent film, The Last Marble that premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival and received much critical appreciation winning international awards for 'Best Film' at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne among others. Among several nominations and official selections the film was featured as part of the 'Best of Fest' at the prestigious Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival and went on to be programmed in Alaskan Airlines' in-flight program and platforms like PBS, and CVS before it eventually got archived for an educational program in France. Her second short film, The Corner Table, won the 'Best Actor' and 'Special Jury Mention' at the 'Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival' in New Delhi and a nomination for 'Best Film' at the 'New York Indian Film Festival'. It screened in the Cannes Short Film Corner and was also screened in Cannes as part of the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at the American Pavilion. Her vision for storytelling and her diverse film experience, both in India and America, have served as a fertile ground to craft her unique voice as a filmmaker. She personally gravitates towards compelling human stories that transcend cultures and engage audiences worldwide. Manjari is the Co-Founder of Skatepark Films LLC with her husband and Producer, Emmanuel Pappas in Los Angeles.