Manjari is an Indian born Writer-Director-Producer based in Los Angeles. Her debut feature, SKATER GIRL about a teenage girl who comes-of-age through skateboarding was acquired by Netflix and released worldwide June 11, 2021. Her second feature SPIN is Disney Channel’s first to feature an Indian American lead in an Original Movie. Spin debuted on August 13th, 2021 starring Avantika as Rhea, an Indian American teen who learns she has a passion for creating DJ mixes. SPIN also released on Disney Plus worldwide.

Manjari was one of eight directors selected for the prestigious AFI DWW Program (American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women) She was the second Indian woman to be part of the program since its inception in 1974. Following that she was handpicked to participate in Hollywood studio programs like the Universal Pictures Directors Intensive and the Fox Filmmakers Lab.

She currently filming SKATE BASTI, a feature documentary that tracks the impact of skateboarding on the lives of rural kids after they get one of India’s largest skateparks built in their remote village.

With over 12 years of experience in the industry, her journey as a director started with three critically acclaimed short films, I SEE YOU, THE CORNER TABLE and THE LAST MARBLE.

Her films have won awards in India, USA, Europe and Australia and have played in festivals like Clermont Ferrand, Rochester Int’l Film Festival, Asian American International Film Festival and at the Emerging Filmmakers showcase at the American Pavilion in Cannes. She’s a recipient of the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation Grant for her AFI DWW short.

At UCLA’s Professional Program in Screenwriting, one of her feature scripts, CITY OF GOLD, was nominated for the Nate Wilson Award in 2015.

She’s had the opportunity to work for incredible filmmakers like Christopher Nolan on DUNKIRK & THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, Patty Jenkins on WONDER WOMAN as well as A-list Indian filmmakers like Vishal Bhardwaj on SAAT KHOON MAAF starring Priyanka Chopra. Her credits as an Assistant Director include THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE-4 and Bollywood features like WAKE UP SID and GANDHI OF THE MONTH starring Harvey Keitel.

Makijany comes from a film family of actors and filmmakers in Mumbai and had set her mind on directing early on. Her vision for storytelling and her diverse film experience, both in India and America, has served as a fertile ground to craft her unique voice as a filmmaker. She heads a boutique production company in Los Angeles, Skatepark Films, with her husband and producing partner, Emmanuel Pappas.