Chithra Jeyaram

CHITHRA JEYARAM (She/Her) is a physical therapist turned filmmaker who identifies as Tamil. Her films reveal the extraordinary in the everyday, focusing on the wisdom, resilience, and love of biological and chosen families. She specializes in one-person crew independent documentaries. In her films—from initial idea to completion—she handles every phase of production: directing, producing, filming, and editing. In her debut feature documentary, FOREIGN PUZZLE (2019), she contrasts motherhood with the brutality of cancer and the resilience of dance. Her second feature documentary, LOVE CHAOS KIN (2025), fills a critical gap in mainstream adoption narratives by highlighting multicultural and multiracial families.

She also regularly collaborates with other creators on co-productions or contributes her directing, producing, and editing expertise to their creative work. As the lead producer of the Oscar-qualified short documentary AMMA'S PRIDE (2024), she spearheads an economically sustainable distribution and outreach campaign championing unwavering parental support for trans people and marriage equality. She has edited the feature documentary, SEX WORK IT’S JUST A JOB (2025), and filmed and edited the feature documentary ONE THOUSAND AND ONE BERBER NIGHTS (2023).

Chithra is an adjunct faculty member at NYU. She is an alumna of prestigious programs, including Visions du Réel’s RoughCut Lab, the Chicken & (Egg)celerator Lab, the BGDM Artist Fellowship, the Gotham Documentary Fellowship, and the Jerome Foundation grant. Her films have been showcased by platforms and festivals such as 2M, PBS, CBSN, Apple TV, BlackStar, SXSW, and DOC NYC. Food is her first love, and she is an avid runner who has completed 15 marathons. She calls Chennai and New York City home and is writing her first screenplay, THE LONGEST SUMMER.