Headshot of Sowjanya Kudva

Sowjanya Kudva

Assistant Professor of Cinema and Television Arts

Department: Cinema and Television Arts

Office and address: Schar Hall- Communications Bld, Office 210A 2850 Campus Box ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, NC 27244

Phone number: (336) 278-5667

Brief Biography

Sowjanya Kudva (they/them) has worked as a filmmaker for 23 years, specializing in producing and editing across a variety of independent, broadcast, and online media. Their work has screened nationally and internationally at festivals, conferences, and major media outlets. In their role as an assistant professor of Cinema & Television Arts, Sowjanya focuses their scholarship on production studies, media literacy, and the political economy of communications.

News & Notes

Education

MFA Film & Media Arts
Temple University 2019
Screenwriting & Comics Scripting
3-year Future Faculty Fellowship

BFA Filmmaking
North Carolina School of the Arts 2003
Editing & Sound
Krispy Kreme Scholarship (seriously, it was a thing)

Employment History

Filmmaker & Consultant | — 2003-present

  • Write, direct, produce, and edit projects across multiple platforms & genres.

  • Selected Clients: IBM, Condé Nast, Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, WIRED, YouTube, Etsy

Senior Producer | Independent Television Service (ITVS) — San Francisco, CA — 2015-2016

  • Produced and edited documentaries for PBS’s Independent Lens and POV.

  • Selected Partners: The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, NPR News, KQED News, Salon, PBS Newshour

Senior Producer | WIRED — San Francisco, CA — 2013-2015 

  • Re-built and managed in-house video department. Directed, produced, edited all videos.

  • Selected Clients: 9/11 Museum, Disney/Pixar, Ducati, Oculus Rift, Pinterest, Dropbox, Oakley, AutoDesk, Acura

  • Awards: 2 Society of Publication Designers Awards (2015); D&AD Golden Pencil (2015); Vimeo Staff Pick for Behind the Scenes w/ Edward Snowden (2014)

Editor, Lead Ast. Editor, Asst. Editor | TV Post-Houses, Los Angeles, CA — 2003-2009

  • Assisted, online edited, and offline edited broadcast and reality TV productions for Freemantle Media, 51 Minds Production, 3Ball Productions, WPT Entertainment.

  • As lead assistant editor, I managed a team of other assistants and coordinated with producers, writers, and editors to prepare episodes for broadcast. 

  • Channels: NBC, VH1, The Travel Channel, Oxygen

Video Producer & Event Coordinator | MMA Group, Los Angeles, CA — 2005-2006

  • Coordinated large-scale events for fashion shows, art auctions, weekly musical residencies, music festival parties, and brand parties. Introduced video to agency’s marketing strategy.

  • Selected Clients: Museum of Contemporary Art - Los Angeles, Otis College of Art & Design, Coachella Music Festival, Motorola, Myspace, Quiksilver, DKNY, Harajuku Lovers, XBOX

Courses Taught

CTA3560 Film & Television Aesthetics  

COR3500 Analyzing the Graphic Novel  (created this core capstone)

CTA2160 Writing for Cinema & Television

CTA2560 Entertainment Media & Society

COM2200 Creating Multimedia Content 

Publications

SCHOLAR

Neoliberalism & Disclosure’s New Trans Activism: The Politics of Discrimination and How to Fight It  — Journal of Film & Video vol.75, no.4, Winter 2023 — University of Illinois Press — Award: University Film & Video Association Paper Prize 2022

VIDEO EDITOR

Rainbow Girls (Nana Duffuor, 2025) Narrative Short — Premiered at Framline San Francisco LGBTQ Film Festival

  • Awards
    • New Orleans Film Festival Audience Award
    • NewFest Grand Jury Prize
    • NewFest Audience Award
    • NewFest Emerging Black LGBTQ Filmmaker Award
    • Adrienne Shelly Foundation Female Director Award
    • Frameline 2025 Completion Fund Grant
    • Top 3 Finalists for the Iris Prize, the world’s largest LGBTQ short film award
  • Screenings — 2025: Framline San Francisco LGBTQ Film Festival

Asha (Moitri Ghosh, 2025) Narrative Short — Premiered at NewFest

  • Screenings — 2025: NewFest

all the words but the one (Nava Mau, 2024) Narrative Short — Premiere in Lilly Wachowski's program at the Maryland Film Festival.

  • Award Nominations: Iris Prize (largest LGBTQ short film prize in the world, 1 of only 25 film selected for the prize)
  • Screenings — 2025: YouTube Short of the Week — 2024 Leeds International Film Festival; New Orleans Film Festival; HollyShorts Film Festival; Iris Prize LGBTQ Film Festival; NewFest: New York LGBTQ Film Festival; Inside Out Toronto Film Festival; OutSouth Queer Film Festival; Maryland Film Festival; Brussels Independent Film Festival; Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival; San Francisco Transgender Film Festival; Mardi Gras Film Festival; KASHISH Pride Film Festival; St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival; GuadaLAjara Film Festival; Bajío International Film Festival; San Antonio Film Festival; Festival Internacional de Cinema da Diversidade Sexual e de Gênero de Goiás; Way OUT West Film Fest; Out On Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival; Mexican-American Film & Television Festival; NVISION Latino Film & Music Festival

Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania (Hanse Bursic, 2024) Short Documentary — Premiered at Frameline in San Francisco.

  • Awards: Best Short Documentary: ReelQ Pittsburgh LGBTQ Film Festival 
  • Award Nominations: Appalachian Queer Film Festival; West Chester Film Festival
  • Screenings — 2025: Big Water Film Festival (Opening Night Screening); Desperado LGBTQ Film Festival; BFI Flare; Tag! Queer Shorts Film Festival; West Chester Film Festival (Opening Night Screening); Cinema Columbus; Southside Film Festival; cinéSPEAK Under the Stars; NewFilmmakers LA Film Festival — 2024: Frameline San Francisco LGBTQ  Film Festival; Cinema Diverse Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival; Appalachian Queer Film Festival; Reeling Chicago LGBTQ Film Festival; Out On Film: Atlanta LGBTQ Film Festival; Twisted Arts Film Festival; Fabulous Independent Film Festival; ImageOut: Rochester LGBTQ Film Festival; ReelQ Pittsburgh LGBTQ Film Festival; NewFest New York LGBTQ Film Festival; Black Bear Film Festival; DocuWest Documentary Film Festival; OutReels Cincinnati; Melbourne Queer Film Festival; OutReels Cincinnati; Melbourne Queer Film Festival; Wicked Queer Docs Film Festival

(in)convenience (2023) Narrative Short — Dir: Alexandra Greenspan — Premiered at San Francisco Independent Film Festival

  • Awards: Audience Award Best Narrative Short, San Francisco Independent Film Festival; Best in Show, Wicked Queer, Funny Shorts Program; Best First-Time Director, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival; Audience Award Best Short, Out Here Dayton Film Festival

  • Screenings: San Francisco Independent Film Festival (Premiere); Tag! Queer Shorts Festival; Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ Film Festival; TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival; Frameline47: The San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival; San Francisco Frozen Film Festival; OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival (present for Q&A); Odense International Film Festival (International Premiere); Out On Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival; Q-Fest; Fargo-Moorhead LGBTQ Film Festival; Oakland Pride 2023; NewPort Beach Film Fest; Seattle Queer Film Festival; Out Here Dayton Film Festival; OutReels Cincinnati; Indianapolis LBGT Film Festival; Dances With Films, New York; Queer Here Cinema; Queer Screen's 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival; Brussels Short Film Festival (Oscar qualifying, 1.5% acceptance rate).

Waking Hour (2019) Narrative Short — Dir: Nava Mau — Screened at 20 festivals in 2019-20 including Outfest Fusion, Toronto LGBT Film Festival, and NewFest where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short

Jose and Mr. Ramos (2016), ITVS Documentary Short — Dir: Jackie Mow, Laura Pacheco — Published on NPR and PBS NewsRoom; Screened at PBS Online Film Festival

Sophie and Ben (2016) ITVS Documentary Short — Dir: Sophie Sartain — Published on PBS Independent Lens, NPR, The Atlantic, KQED; Screened at the American Film Showcase

Marry the Movement (2013) Promo for Southerners On New Ground — Dir/Prod/DP/GFX: Sowjanya Kudva — Published at The Nation, Human Right Campaign, Colorlines, and more.

All of Us (2012) Educational Documentary Short — Dir/Prod/DP/GFX: Sowjanya Kudva — Screened at 7 national conferences, 2012 - 2013

Into the Depths (2011) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on Pitchfork.com

Heaven in Stereo (2011) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on Spin.com

Sparkle in the Dark (2011) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on AllMusic.com

Getaway Driver (2010) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on MTV-U Top 5 

Be Still (2010) Short Narrative Film — Dir: Karrie Crouse — Screened at Slamdance, Austin Film Festival, Memphis Film Festival

Farewell, My Subaru (2008) Documentary Short — Dir: Jason Ensler — Published on BoingBoing.com

Obsessed with You (2008) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on MTV-U 

Hollywood Smile (2007) Music Video — Dir: Locke Webster — Premiered on LOGO Top 10 

What I Love About Dying (2006) Short Film — Dir: Silas Howard — Premiered at Sundance Film Festival

Rondro (2004) Documentary Feature — Dir: John Roberts — Premiered at Cine Noir Film Festival, Closing Night Film

CONSULTANT

Our League (2022), Documentary Short, ITVS — Dir: Sam Cullman — Premiered on PBS Independent Lens

Halloween 1987 (2022), Narrative Short — Dir: Hansen Bursic — Premiered ReelQ Film Festival in the Team Dream Shorts category

Presentations

Panelist | UFVA 2024 Conference — Cleveland State University — July 2024 — Lessons in Equity and Education on Set: Producing a Transgender Production Fellowship on the Short Film "all the words but the one" (Nava Mau, 2024)

Presenter | AIGA Workshop — ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ — April 2024 — Designing Comics! How to tell stories with images and words.

Presenter | Data Nexus Communities of Practice — ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ — April 2024 — Accessing and Assessing Data in Media Curriculum through the lenses of Media Literacy and the Political Economy of Communications

Panelist | AI & Ethics — ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ — April 2024 — Ethics of AI and Copyright Law

Presenter | Spotlight on DEI — ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ — Feb 2024 — Decoding Hollywood: Fighting the legal legacy of discrimination in today’s media industries

Presenter | Advancing Equity Summer Institute — ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ — June 2023 — Equitable and Compassionate Collaboration in Groups

Presenter | Queer Studies Conference — UNC-Asheville — March 2023 — Neoliberalism & Disclosure’s New Trans Activism: The Politics of Discrimination and How to Fight It

Presenter | 76th UFVA Conference — Suny Fredonia — July 2022 — That’s Hollywood! How Disclosure’s Activist-filmmakers Refused to Shrug-off Traditional Production Practices by Modeling New Ones — Award: UFVA Paper Prize 2022

Panelist | Pritzker Sucker Studio Lab — Northwestern University — April 2022 — Media Production Cultures and Mental Health

Presenter | MCLLM — Northern Illinois University — April 2022  — That’s Hollywood! How Disclosure’s Activist-filmmakers Refused to Shrug-off Traditional Production Practices by Modeling New Ones

Panelist | Kelly Strayhorn Theater — Pittsburgh, PA — Nov 2020 — Devas Ex Machina: A Conversation about God(s), South Asians, and Queers ()

Talk | The Ethnography Lab — Duke University — Feb 2020 — Conversations on Documentary: How Form Influences Function ()

Presenter | Scholars of Color Conference — Temple University —  April 2019 — What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get: The Limitations and Potential of Word-Processing 

Presenter | Race/Sex/Power Conference — Roosevelt University — April 2018 — Artificial Intelligence Narratives as a Tool for Building an Intersectional Imaginary

Skills

Multimedia Premiere, Final Cut Pro, AVID, Photoshop, Illustrator

Screen/Comics Writing Final Draft, Highland, Scrivener, Celtx

Creative Editing, Sound Editing, Producing, Directing, Cinematography, Sound Recording, Sound Design, Story Editing, Post Supervising, Consulting

Professional Supervising, Project Management, Budgeting