Andrew Nadkarni

Documentary Short

Director/Producer

Renowned ecologist Nalini Nadkarni studies "what grows back” after a disturbance in the rainforest canopy. After surviving a life-threatening fall from a tree, she must turn her research question onto herself to explore the effects of disturbance and recovery throughout her own life.

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2024 Academy Awards Shortlist - Best Documentary Short

Now streaming on PBS

Official Website

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Winner, Best Documentary Short - Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, & The Gold List

Nominated for two Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Cinema Eye Honors, and Shortlisted for the IDA Awards

Vimeo Staff Pick

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PBS Director Q&A

Philadelphia Inquirer Profile

Conversation with Marcia Smith

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“Through breathtaking cinematography and dynamic editing, this film sublimely captures the inspirational resilience and bravery of forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni. The filmmaker weaves Nalini's unyielding quest to heal the planet through the trees of the forest with her own journey to face and overcome her own deeply personal trauma.”

– Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Jury

“‘The trees were there as my witness,’ states world-renowned ecologist Nalini Nadkarni as she reflects on her past, present and future, while she explores and revisits the emotional scars of her childhood, as well as the physical scars from a 2015 fall from a tree. Strength and fragility combine to create something new.”

– Eileen Arandiga, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

“A charming film that will get you to fall in love with life and trees and the wonder of the world.”

– Steve Kopian, Unseen Films

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Additional Resources

2023

Documentary Short

Director

Following the success of her debut novel, All This Could Be Different, author Sarah Thankam Mathews embarks on her second novel, drawing from her adolescence between India and Oman. As Sarah excavates lost place and time, she must contend with the weight of truthful representation and the contradictions within her childhood memories.

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Now streaming on PBS

Hot Springs Doc Film Fest | DOC NYC

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Featuring: Sarah Thankam Mathews
Director/producer: Andrew Nadkarni
Producer: Maryam Mir
Cinematographer: Anumeha
Editor: Peter Zachwieja
Original Score; Rachika Nayar

In the Making S3
Produced in association with Firelight Media and American Masters | PBS

2025

2025

Documentary Short

Director / Producer

This short documentary follows artist Trey Abdella as he smashes cherub angels and assembles a new body of work inspired by the idea of a “blessing in disguise.” Reflecting on his childhood in West Virginia and the repulsive allure of theme parks and Americana, Trey invites us into the memories that drive an artistic practice fusing painting, sculpture, and assemblage into bold, inventive, and deeply personal works.

World Premiere at MoMA - October 10

Narrative Feature

Producer

Riley, a biracial girl in her final week of college, goes to great lengths to win the affections of a boy from her hometown of Philly, and ends up having to confront her escalating anxieties about her love life, family, and future.

Official Selections: Locarno International Film Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Jeonju International Film Festival, Taipei Film Festival, Milan Film Festival, BAMcinemaFest

Written & directed by Kit Zauhar

Now Streaming on MUBI

Film Website

2022

Director

Made in partnership with the California Teachers Union and Counsel Media

2024

2026

Documentary short

Co-Director / Producer

A group of recently resettled women embark on their first overnight camping trip in the U.S., finding connection and belonging in the land, and with each other.

2026

Documentary Short

Director / Producer

The Nature Dose follows three visionary leaders weaving science, storytelling, and community action to spark a movement that ensures nature’s healing power is accessible to all.

Made in partnership with REI x The Redford Center

Feature Film

Production Supervisor: NY Unit

Detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece to take on a new case with a variety of suspects.

Written & directed by Rian Johnson

Streaming on Netflix

2022

Feature Film

Associate Producer

Based on the best-selling novel. A famous opera singer (Julianne Moore) is held hostage in South America by a guerrilla rebel group after performing at a Japanese businessman's (Ken Watanabe) lavish birthday party. Unexpected bonds are forged in the standoff that ensues.

Written by Anthony Weintraub & Paul Weitz

Directed by Paul Weitz

Streaming on Peacock

2018

Series

Production Coordinator - S1

Creator and writer Awkwafina (The Farewell, Crazy Rich Asians) stars in the comedy inspired by her real-life growing up in Flushing, Queens. Raised by her Dad (BD Wong) and Grandma (Lori Tan Chinn) alongside her cousin (Bowen Yang), Nora Lin leans on her family as she navigates life and young adulthood.

Streaming on Max

2019 - 2021

Series

Production Coordinator

An unlikely friendship. A lost love resurfaced. A marriage at its turning point. A date that might not have been a date. An unconventional new family. These are unique stories about the joys and tribulations of love, each inspired by a real-life personal essay from the beloved New York Times column “Modern Love.”

Streaming on Amazon Prime

2019 - 2021

Short Film

Producer

The Terrestrials takes place in the near future. In this new age, a device exists that allows psyches to meet in a liminal space to have safe, efficient, and anonymous sexual encounters (think Tinder for your brain). Lucy, our protagonist, is a reserved scientist who has recently been left by a long-time lover. To cope, she uses the device to satisfy her longings for temporary lust and affection. One day, while using the device, the server crashes, leaving Lucy stranded in the virtual world with the challenging, cheating Will, who she's just had sex with. It's only then that Lucy relearns intimacy, touch, and connection.

Best Short Screenplay: Fantasia Film Festival

Official Selection: UN x We Transfer’s HeforShe Festival, Chinese American Film Festival, First Run Festival, Fusion Film Festival, Imagine Science Film Festival, Bushwick Film Festival

Written & directed by Kit Zauhar

2020

Feature Film

Production Coordinator

A young journalist discovers a conspiracy involving a U.S. Presidential candidate that could change the election and the fate of the country.

Written by Evan Parter

Directed by Amy Rice

Streaming on Peacock

2022

Short Film

Producer

A ghost story following a high school girl, her oppressive mother, and her quirky, deceased uncle.

Written & directed by Peter Zachweija

Best Narrative Short, Greenpoint Film Festival

2020

Series

Assistant to the Executive Producer - S3-4

What happens behind the curtains at the symphony is just as captivating as what happens on stage. Created by Paul Weitz (About a Boy), Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited), and Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore). Brash new maestro Rodrigo (Gael Garcia Bernal) is stirring things up, and young oboist/aspiring conductor Hailey (Lola Kirke) hopes for her big chance.

Steaming on Amazon Prime

2017-2018

Short Film

Producer

Northshore follows sixteen-year old Larissa Lannigan as she grapples with the aftermath of her best friend’s murder, the first in a series of brutal killings that begin to plague a small-town community. What begins as local tragedy soon escalates into a collective hysteria.

Written & directed by David Fu

Watch Film

2016

Short Film

Producer

Two wandering streams of consciousness come together in a college library.

Winner, Canon Undergrad Film Award: Fusion Film Festival

Official Selection: NFFTY, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Lone Star Film Festival, Unrestricted View Film Festival, High Country Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Showcase, Bobst Film Festival

Written & directed by Kit Zauhar

Watch Film

2017