Veena Rao is a filmmaker based in New York City. She loves the ability of film to allow us to dream and empathize with each other and influence how we see the world. In her own work, she is interested in revealing the extraordinary in the everyday.
Her films have screened at festivals worldwide and via PBS, The New York Times Op-Docs and Vimeo Staff Picks. They have received support from organizations including Independent Television Service (ITVS), The NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, and New York State Council on the Arts.
In addition to filmmaking, she has performed at live storytelling events with Pop-Up Magazine across the U.S and Canada, including at Sundance Film Festival and Aspen Ideas Festival.
She also directs commissioned documentaries and branded films. Some past clients and collaborators include BBC, Google, New York Philharmonic, Starbucks, Vimeo, Vox Creative, and Tribeca Studios.
She is an alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and a member of Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and New Day Films.