Prerana Thakurdesai

Prerana Thakurdesai (prayer-na  tha-kor-day-sa-ee) is New York based documentary filmmaker whose work centers around human condition and end of life stories. Currently, she is directing a feature documentary on women in politics in India. She is also the lead producer of the upcoming film on conscious dying, The Last Ecstatic Days. Her last directorial release, The Essential Worker, is a short doc about a lone Pakistani-American cleric who conducted COVID funerals of Muslims in New York. In India, Prerana worked with Aamir Khan Productions, one of the biggest production companies, to create the path breaking docu-talk show, Satyamev Jayate, watched by over 600 million people worldwide. Her other credits include producing 9/11: The Legacy for the History Channel, writing & associate directing an Indian television series, Toofan Aalaya, and directing several short films for Indian television news and non-profit organizations worldwide. Prerana is passionate about community building and manages Kalakars, a collective that works to elevate voices of South Asians in the American film and TV industry. She is also a founding member of the Bitchitra Collective: Indian Women in Documentary.