Manjari Makijany
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Manjari Makijany is an Emmy Nominated Indian-born filmmaker based between Los Angeles and Sydney who works on
American Film The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century. Classical Hollywood cinema, a filmmakin ...
and
Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Hollywood". The industry, producing films in th ...
. She is best known for directing the Netflix original feature film '' Skater Girl'' (2021) and the Disney Channel original movie ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' (2021). She directed several short films like her award-winning shorts, ''The Last Marble'' (2012), ''The Corner Table (2014)'' and ''I See You'' (2017) before venturing into feature filmmaking.


Early life

Manjari Makijany is the daughter of Bollywood actor
Mac Mohan Mohan Makijany (24 April 1938 – 10 May 2010), popularly known as Mac Mohan, was an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi cinema. He was known for his villainous roles in films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in over 200 films, in ...
, cousin of actress
Raveena Tandon Raveena Tandon (born 26 October 1972) is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Considered as one of the leading actresses of the 1990s and early 2000s, Tandon is a recipient of several awards, including a National Film ...
and Aunt of Rasha Thadani. She did her schooling from Jamnabai Narsee School, Juhu and Graduation from
Jai Hind College Jai Hind College (Autonomous) (Marathi: जय हिंद कॉलेज) is an autonomous college in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, affiliated to the University of Mumbai. It was established in 1948. In 2000, ''India Today'' named Jai Hind C ...
.


Career


Early career

Manjari worked as an Assistant Director on Indian films ''
Wake Up Sid ''Wake Up Sid'' is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age Comedy drama, comedy-drama film written and directed by Ayan Mukerji in his directorial debut, and produced by Karan Johar under the Dharma Productions banner. T ...
'' (2009) and '' Saat Khoon Maaf'' (2011). She also worked on Disney's live action-animation '' Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan'', ''Gandhi of the Month'' and the Indian schedules of '' Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol'' and ''
The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the final instal ...
''. 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. Manjari was one of eight women chosen to participate in the AFI Conservatory's Directing Workshop for Women in 2016. She is the second Indian to participate in the program since its inception in 1974. As part of the AFI DWW she directed, ''I See You (2017)'', a dramatic thriller about a suicide bomber who has a change of heart on the
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...
. She is also one of 25 Women selected to participant in the inaugural Fox Filmmakers Lab in 2017. Manjari was one of eight filmmakers selected to participate in the inaugural Universal Pictures Directors Intensive in 2017.


2010s: Foray into directing

Manjari's foray into writing and directing began with a 7-minute silent film, ''The Last Marble'' (2012) that premiered at the
Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...
and received much critical appreciation winning International awards for "Best Film" at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The film was included as the ‘Best of Fest’ at the
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (French: ''Festival international du court métrage de Clermont-Ferrand'') is an international film festival dedicated to short films held annually in Clermont-Ferrand, France. It is the ...
and screened in over 30 International festivals. ''The Corner Table ''(2014) was her second film and featured
Tom Alter Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Early life Born in Mussoorie ...
. The 24-minute short film was nominated for "Best Film" at the
New York Indian Film Festival The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was foun ...
(2014). The film was a part of the Cannes Short Film Corner and an "Official Selection" of the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at the American Pavilion -
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
. Manjari was the only Indian woman filmmaker chosen as part of this showcase. At the AFI's DWW she directed, I See You (2017), a dramatic thriller about a suicide bomber who has a change of heart on the New York City Subway. The film was showcased to the industry at the
Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...
where she was awarded the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation Award and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Award. Prior to directing her feature Skater Girl, Manjari was shadow director on an episode of the hit series
You (TV series) ''You'' is an American psychological thriller television series based on the books by Caroline Kepnes, developed by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble, and produced by Berlanti Productions, Alloy Entertainment, and A&E Studios, A+E Studios in associat ...
and on an episode in the 5th season of
The Flash (2014 TV series) ''The Flash'' is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, airing on The CW. It is based on the Barry Allen incarnation of DC Comics character the Flash, a costumed superhero crime- ...
. She also assisted on
Dunkirk (2017 film) ''Dunkirk'' is a 2017 Historical drama, historical War film, war thriller film written, directed, and co-produced by Christopher Nolan that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II from the perspectives of the land, sea, and air. It fe ...
and
Wonder Woman (2017 film) ''Wonder Woman'' is a 2017 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios, it was directed by Patty Jenkins from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg, based on a story by Heinber ...
.


2020s: SkaterGirl - present

In 2019, Makijany began filming the Netflix Original Film '' Skater Girl'' (2021), a narrative feature film written by Vinati Makijany and Manjari Makijany which follows the story of a teenage tribal girl in
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
, India who discovers skateboarding after a thirty-something British-Indian woman introduces skateboarding to a village. The film released on Netflix in 191 countries and 31 languages. ''Skater Girl'' is Makijany's directorial debut feature and was filmed on location in Khempur, Udaipur, Rajasthan in 2019. The film introduces newcomer Rachel Sanchita Gupta, and stars Amrit Maghera, Jonathan Readwin, Swati Das, Ankit Rao, and
Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress. Regarded among the most accomplished actresses of Hindi cinema, she has worked in more than Waheeda Rehman filmography, 90 feature films, in a career spanning over five decades. Her ac ...
. As part of the film, the producers built Rajasthan's first and, at the time India's largest, skatepark Desert Dolphin Skatepark. Spanning over 15,000 sq ft, it remains a public skatepark facility for children and visiting skaters. Her next release in 2021 was Disney Channel original film ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'', a film about an Indian American teen who learns she has a passion for creating DJ mixes. For the film, Manjari was nominated for two
Children's and Family Emmy Awards The Children's and Family Emmy Awards, or Children's and Family Emmys, are a part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts a ...
—Outstanding Special Fiction & Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Program.


Philanthropy

Makijany is co-founder of the Skate Basti Foundation, a Los Angeles based 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to building community skateparks anchored with art, play and education as the centerpiece to empower young people in underserved communities. She is also co-founder of the Desert Dolphin Skatepark, a community skatepark located in Khempur,
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.


Filmography


Short films


Feature films


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Makijany, Manjati 1980s births Living people Indian women film directors Indian women film producers 21st-century Indian women artists Indian women filmmakers Screenwriters from Mumbai Film producers from Mumbai Film directors from Mumbai 21st-century Indian people Indian women screenwriters Women artists from Maharashtra Indian women documentary filmmakers Year of birth missing (living people)