Anjali Nayar is a Fulbright scholar and award-winning writer and director based between Nairobi and North America. Her newest documentary feature SILAS (world premiere TIFF 2017) profiles a network of citizen reporters, using smartphones to expose land grabs and corruption in West Africa.

Anjali’s feature directorial debut, GUN RUNNERS (Hot Docs 2016), about Kenyan warriors turned marathoners, is now available on Netflix. Anjali is also directing JUST A BAND a hybrid documentary project about an Afro-electric pop group that wants to go to space, as well as a number of short creative and virtual reality films.

Beyond film, Anjali founded TIMBY (This Is My Backyard), a suite of digital tools that helps activists report, verify and tell stories safely. She has a Masters from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, a Masters in Environmental Management from Oxford and a Graduate degree from the International Space University in the Netherlands.

Anjali directed ESCAPE, an award-winning branded, digital short for MEC, Mountain Equipment Co-op, the leading retailer of outdoor gear in Canada. In addition, she recently directed a 60-second spot for the San Diego Zoo.