Rajvi Desai

Bio: Rajvi Desai is a non-binary South Asian filmmaker and journalist based in New York City. Rajvi’s work focuses on liberation movements in queer and trans communities, and gender issues as they intersect with race, class and caste, both in the United States and in South Asia. They are currently in production on their debut feature, Mother Wit, about a Black and Brown trans family navigating grief, legacy and memory through the lens of ancestral wisdom and a unique focus on education. They are supported as director and producer by ITVS, the Sundance Institute, Bitchitra Collective and Pulitzer Center. Rajvi is also the recipient of a seed grant from Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation, with which Rajvi is currently co-developing a multimedia project, TRANSforming Journalism, for the journalism industry to better cover trans communities of color. A short documentary Rajvi edited and co-directed, Hold On To Me, premiered at NewFest in October 2022, and has traveled to festivals in London (BFI Flare), Amsterdam, Seattle and LA (OutFest) in 2023. Rajvi’s work has been featured in both local and international publications, such as amNY.com, Surface Magazine, The Swaddle, The Quint and Eastern-Standard Times.