AYESHA NADARAJAH
FOUNDER, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR
Ayesha Nadarajah is a Sri Lankan-American film Producer & Director WORKING ON documentarIES, COMMERCIALS & narrative FIILMS.
Ayesha got her start as a production assistant on the Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award-winning documentary- LIFE, ANIMATED. She co-produced the feature documentary AMERICAN JAIL which explores the forces that fuel America's sprawling prison system for CNN. Ayesha was associate producer on HBO's documentary THE APOLLO about the iconic Harlem theater which opened the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was shortlisted for an Academy Award.
Ayesha co-directed and produced the Emmy Nominated virtual reality documentary TRAVELING WHILE BLACK, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Ayesha co-produced the Emmy Nominated feature documentary about artist, activist Harry Belafonte; THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS TONIGHT SHOW chronicles the week that Belafonte took over the Tonight Show for Johnny Carson in 1968. In the three weeks leading up to the 2020 election, Ayesha, in association with Tribeca Studios and The Shed, produced NOVEMBER, a film that pairs an examination of white male privilege in the United States today with images of Black joy, freedom, and beauty, directed by Phillip Youmans.
Most recently, Ayesha co-produced the feature documentary THE LIFE AND NEAR DEATH OF TRAVIS BARKER about the musician and producer. Ayesha is currently directing a feature documentary about a pop singer and has several documentary series in development.
AYESHA’S PAST WORK
TRAVELING WHILE BLACK - Oculus
Co-Director/ Producer
Confronting the way we understand and talk about race in America, TRAVELING WHILE BLACK highlights the urgent need to not only remember the past but to learn from it, and facilitate a dialogue about the challenges minority travelers still face today.
Traveling While Black is a virtual reality documentary which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Emmy Award.
THE APOLLO - HBO
Associate Producer
The Apollo is an Emmy award winning documentary which chronicles the unique history and contemporary legacy of the New York City landmark, the Apollo Theater. The documentary weaves together archival footage, music, comedy and dance performances, and behind-the-scenes verité with the team that makes the theater run. The Apollo features interviews with artists including Patti LaBelle, Pharrell Williams, Smokey Robinson, and Jamie Foxx.
THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW- Peacock
Co-Producer
THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW is an Emmy nominated documentary film that chronicles the seminal event and almost-forgotten moment in American history during which legendary entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte hosted the iconic “Tonight Show” in place of Johnny Carson for an entire week.
AMERICAN JAIL - CNN
Co-Producer
In this deeply personal and provocative film, director Roger Ross Williams sets out on a journey to understand the complex forces of racism and greed currently at work in America’s prison system. He embarks on a search for solutions to help save the community he came from in Easton, Pennsylvania.
ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Adidas Forum 84 - ArtClass Content
Line Producer
The New Yorker Presents: The Man Without a Mask
Production Coordinator
Dogs: Scissor’s Down - Netflix
Field Producer- Season 1 Episode 4
Take Back the Harbor - Discovery
Production Coordinator
Life Animated - A&E Indie Films
Production Assistant
Hilton 702 - Vayner
Production Manager