Shivani Khattar

Shivani Khattar is a New York-based independent filmmaker whose work ranges from feature films to branded content and commercials. Most recently, she's been making future-forward shows and documentaries for NBC News’ OTT platforms. Previously, she worked as the New York-Lead Video Producer for Engadget.com. She earned her MFA degree in Film Directing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she received the Paulette Godard Scholarship, two years in a row. Her short films have been screened at film festivals around the world including SXSW and the Palm Springs Short Film Festival. In 2012 she began developing a political thriller that was shortlisted for the Cannes Residence du Festival. Her scripts have also been selected for workshops with Oliver Stone, Roger Spottiswoode, and Todd Solondz, who continue to influence her work. Her short documentaries have been nominated for several journalism awards, most notably the Webby Awards in 2017. A film she shot also won the Albert Maysles Award in the same year at the Tribeca Film Festival. She was a Sundance Development Lab finalist in 2021. Parallel to her independent film work, she has also worked with some of the busiest commercials production houses in New York including McGuffin Films, Homestead Editorial, and Assembly Films. She was recently nominated for her cinematography at the International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema, Berlin. She is currently a Visiting Arts Professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she teaches passionate young filmmakers Cinematography and Directing while working on her feature film After she died.