Headshot of Sowjanya Kudva

Sowjanya Kudva

Assistant Professor of Cinema and Television Arts

Department: Cinema and Television Arts

Office and address: Schar Hall- Communications Bld, Office 210A 2850 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244

Phone number: (336) 278-5667

Brief Biography

Sowjanya Kudva (they/them) has worked as a filmmaker for 22 years, specializing in producing and editing across a variety of independent, broadcast, and online media. Their work has screened nationally and internationally at festivals, conferences, and major media outlets. In their current role as an assistant professor of Cinema & Television Arts at Elon University, Sowjanya focuses their scholarship on production studies, media literacy, and the intersection of cultural studies and the political economy of communications.

Their award-winning essay, "Neoliberalism & Disclosure’s New Trans Activism: The Politics of Discrimination in Hollywood and How to Fight It," was recently published by the Journal of Film and Video (University of Illinois Press, Winter 2024).

They currently have 4 short films in the festival circuit:

Rainbow Girls (Nana Fobi Duffuor, 2025)

  • Edited by Kudva, Premiered in June 2025 at Frameline in San Francisco. Executive Produced by Cheryl Dunye and awarded the Frameline Completion Grant.

Asha (Moitri Ghosh, 2025)

  • Edited by Kudva, Premiered in May 2025 at NewFest in New York City. Selected and supported by Concord Music Publishing Impact Investment Initiative.

all the words but the one (Nava Mau, 2024)

  • Executive Produced and Edited by Kudva. Premiered in May 2024 at the Maryland Film Festival. Executive Produced by Lily Wachowski.
  • Awarded the YouTube "Short of the Week" (2025), and nominated for The Iris Prize (2024), the world's largest LGBTQ short film award—only 25 films are selected each year.

Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania (Hansesn Bursic, 2024)

  • Edited by Kudva, Premiered in June 2024 at Frameline in San Francisco.
  • Awarded Best Documentary Short at  ReelQ Pittsburgh LGBTQ Film Festival .

News & Notes

Education

MFA Film & Media Arts
Temple University 2019
Screenwriting & Comics Scripting
3-year Future Faculty Fellowship

BFA Filmmaking
North Carolina School of the Arts 2003
Editing & Sound
Krispy Kreme Scholarship (seriously, it was a thing)

Employment History

Filmmaker & Consultant | sowjfilms.com — 2003-present

  • Write, direct, produce, and edit projects across multiple platforms & genres.

  • Selected Clients: IBM, Condé Nast, Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, WIRED, YouTube, Etsy

Senior Producer | Independent Television Service (ITVS) — San Francisco, CA — 2015-2016

  • Produced and edited documentaries for PBS’s Independent Lens and POV.

  • Selected Partners: The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, NPR News, KQED News, Salon, PBS Newshour

Senior Producer | WIRED — San Francisco, CA — 2013-2015 

  • Re-built and managed in-house video department. Directed, produced, edited all videos.

  • Selected Clients: 9/11 Museum, Disney/Pixar, Ducati, Oculus Rift, Pinterest, Dropbox, Oakley, AutoDesk, Acura

  • Awards: 2 Society of Publication Designers Awards (2015); D&AD Golden Pencil (2015); Vimeo Staff Pick for Behind the Scenes w/ Edward Snowden (2014)

Editor, Lead Ast. Editor, Asst. Editor | TV Post-Houses, Los Angeles, CA — 2003-2009

  • Assisted, online edited, and offline edited broadcast and reality TV productions for Freemantle Media, 51 Minds Production, 3Ball Productions, WPT Entertainment.

  • As lead assistant editor, I managed a team of other assistants and coordinated with producers, writers, and editors to prepare episodes for broadcast. 

  • Channels: NBC, VH1, The Travel Channel, Oxygen

Video Producer & Event Coordinator | MMA Group, Los Angeles, CA — 2005-2006

  • Coordinated large-scale events for fashion shows, art auctions, weekly musical residencies, music festival parties, and brand parties. Introduced video to agency’s marketing strategy.

  • Selected Clients: Museum of Contemporary Art - Los Angeles, Otis College of Art & Design, Coachella Music Festival, Motorola, Myspace, Quiksilver, DKNY, Harajuku Lovers, XBOX

Courses Taught

CTA3560 Film & Television Aesthetics  

COR3500 Analyzing the Graphic Novel  (created this core capstone)

CTA2160 Writing for Cinema & Television

CTA2560 Entertainment Media & Society

COM2200 Creating Multimedia Content 

Publications

SCHOLAR

Neoliberalism & Disclosure’s New Trans Activism: The Politics of Discrimination and How to Fight It  — Journal of Film & Video vol.75, no.4, Winter 2023 — University of Illinois Press — Award: University Film & Video Association Paper Prize 2022

VIDEO EDITOR

Rainbow Girls (Nana Duffuor, 2025) Narrative Short — Premiered at Framline San Francisco LGBTQ Film Festival

  • Awards: Frameline Completion Grant
  • Screenings — 2025: Framline San Francisco LGBTQ Film Festival

Asha (Moitri Ghosh, 2025) Narrative Short — Premiered at NewFest

  • Screenings — 2025: NewFest

all the words but the one (Nava Mau, 2024) Narrative Short — Premiere in Lilly Wachowski's program at the Maryland Film Festival.

  • Award Nominations: Iris Prize (largest LGBTQ short film prize in the world, 1 of only 25 film selected for the prize)
  • Screenings — 2025: YouTube Short of the Week — 2024 Leeds International Film Festival; New Orleans Film Festival; HollyShorts Film Festival; Iris Prize LGBTQ Film Festival; NewFest: New York LGBTQ Film Festival; Inside Out Toronto Film Festival; OutSouth Queer Film Festival; Maryland Film Festival; Brussels Independent Film Festival; Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival; San Francisco Transgender Film Festival; Mardi Gras Film Festival; KASHISH Pride Film Festival; St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival; GuadaLAjara Film Festival; Bajío International Film Festival; San Antonio Film Festival; Festival Internacional de Cinema da Diversidade Sexual e de Gênero de Goiás; Way OUT West Film Fest; Out On Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival; Mexican-American Film & Television Festival; NVISION Latino Film & Music Festival

Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania (Hanse Bursic, 2024) Short Documentary — Premiered at Frameline in San Francisco.

  • Awards: Best Short Documentary: ReelQ Pittsburgh LGBTQ Film Festival 
  • Award Nominations: Appalachian Queer Film Festival; West Chester Film Festival
  • Screenings — 2025: Big Water Film Festival (Opening Night Screening); Desperado LGBTQ Film Festival; BFI Flare; Tag! Queer Shorts Film Festival; West Chester Film Festival (Opening Night Screening); Cinema Columbus; Southside Film Festival; cinéSPEAK Under the Stars; NewFilmmakers LA Film Festival — 2024: Frameline San Francisco LGBTQ  Film Festival; Cinema Diverse Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival; Appalachian Queer Film Festival; Reeling Chicago LGBTQ Film Festival; Out On Film: Atlanta LGBTQ Film Festival; Twisted Arts Film Festival; Fabulous Independent Film Festival; ImageOut: Rochester LGBTQ Film Festival; ReelQ Pittsburgh LGBTQ Film Festival; NewFest New York LGBTQ Film Festival; Black Bear Film Festival; DocuWest Documentary Film Festival; OutReels Cincinnati; Melbourne Queer Film Festival; OutReels Cincinnati; Melbourne Queer Film Festival; Wicked Queer Docs Film Festival

(in)convenience (2023) Narrative Short — Dir: Alexandra Greenspan — Premiered at San Francisco Independent Film Festival

  • Awards: Audience Award Best Narrative Short, San Francisco Independent Film Festival; Best in Show, Wicked Queer, Funny Shorts Program; Best First-Time Director, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival; Audience Award Best Short, Out Here Dayton Film Festival

  • Screenings: San Francisco Independent Film Festival (Premiere); Tag! Queer Shorts Festival; Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ Film Festival; TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival; Frameline47: The San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival; San Francisco Frozen Film Festival; OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival (present for Q&A); Odense International Film Festival (International Premiere); Out On Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival; Q-Fest; Fargo-Moorhead LGBTQ Film Festival; Oakland Pride 2023; NewPort Beach Film Fest; Seattle Queer Film Festival; Out Here Dayton Film Festival; OutReels Cincinnati; Indianapolis LBGT Film Festival; Dances With Films, New York; Queer Here Cinema; Queer Screen's 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival; Brussels Short Film Festival (Oscar qualifying, 1.5% acceptance rate).

Waking Hour (2019) Narrative Short — Dir: Nava Mau — Screened at 20 festivals in 2019-20 including Outfest Fusion, Toronto LGBT Film Festival, and NewFest where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short

Jose and Mr. Ramos (2016), ITVS Documentary Short — Dir: Jackie Mow, Laura Pacheco — Published on NPR and PBS NewsRoom; Screened at PBS Online Film Festival

Sophie and Ben (2016) ITVS Documentary Short — Dir: Sophie Sartain — Published on PBS Independent Lens, NPR, The Atlantic, KQED; Screened at the American Film Showcase

Marry the Movement (2013) Promo for Southerners On New Ground — Dir/Prod/DP/GFX: Sowjanya Kudva — Published at The Nation, Human Right Campaign, Colorlines, and more.

All of Us (2012) Educational Documentary Short — Dir/Prod/DP/GFX: Sowjanya Kudva — Screened at 7 national conferences, 2012 - 2013

Into the Depths (2011) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on Pitchfork.com

Heaven in Stereo (2011) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on Spin.com

Sparkle in the Dark (2011) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on AllMusic.com

Getaway Driver (2010) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on MTV-U Top 5 

Be Still (2010) Short Narrative Film — Dir: Karrie Crouse — Screened at Slamdance, Austin Film Festival, Memphis Film Festival

Farewell, My Subaru (2008) Documentary Short — Dir: Jason Ensler — Published on BoingBoing.com

Obsessed with You (2008) Music Video — Dir: Will Joines — Premiered on MTV-U 

Hollywood Smile (2007) Music Video — Dir: Locke Webster — Premiered on LOGO Top 10 

What I Love About Dying (2006) Short Film — Dir: Silas Howard — Premiered at Sundance Film Festival

Rondro (2004) Documentary Feature — Dir: John Roberts — Premiered at Cine Noir Film Festival, Closing Night Film

CONSULTANT

Our League (2022), Documentary Short, ITVS — Dir: Sam Cullman — Premiered on PBS Independent Lens

Halloween 1987 (2022), Narrative Short — Dir: Hansen Bursic — Premiered ReelQ Film Festival in the Team Dream Shorts category

Presentations

Panelist | UFVA 2024 Conference — Cleveland State University — July 2024 — Lessons in Equity and Education on Set: Producing a Transgender Production Fellowship on the Short Film "all the words but the one" (Nava Mau, 2024)

Presenter | AIGA Workshop — Elon University — April 2024 — Designing Comics! How to tell stories with images and words.

Presenter | Data Nexus Communities of Practice — Elon University — April 2024 — Accessing and Assessing Data in Media Curriculum through the lenses of Media Literacy and the Political Economy of Communications

Panelist | AI & Ethics — Elon University — April 2024 — Ethics of AI and Copyright Law

Presenter | Spotlight on DEI — Elon University — Feb 2024 — Decoding Hollywood: Fighting the legal legacy of discrimination in today’s media industries

Presenter | Advancing Equity Summer Institute — Elon University — June 2023 — Equitable and Compassionate Collaboration in Groups

Presenter | Queer Studies Conference — UNC-Asheville — March 2023 — Neoliberalism & Disclosure’s New Trans Activism: The Politics of Discrimination and How to Fight It

Presenter | 76th UFVA Conference — Suny Fredonia — July 2022 — That’s Hollywood! How Disclosure’s Activist-filmmakers Refused to Shrug-off Traditional Production Practices by Modeling New Ones — Award: UFVA Paper Prize 2022

Panelist | Pritzker Sucker Studio Lab — Northwestern University — April 2022 — Media Production Cultures and Mental Health

Presenter | MCLLM — Northern Illinois University — April 2022  — That’s Hollywood! How Disclosure’s Activist-filmmakers Refused to Shrug-off Traditional Production Practices by Modeling New Ones

Panelist | Kelly Strayhorn Theater — Pittsburgh, PA — Nov 2020 — Devas Ex Machina: A Conversation about God(s), South Asians, and Queers (link)

Talk | The Ethnography Lab — Duke University — Feb 2020 — Conversations on Documentary: How Form Influences Function (link)

Presenter | Scholars of Color Conference — Temple University —  April 2019 — What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get: The Limitations and Potential of Word-Processing 

Presenter | Race/Sex/Power Conference — Roosevelt University — April 2018 — Artificial Intelligence Narratives as a Tool for Building an Intersectional Imaginary

Skills

Multimedia Premiere, Final Cut Pro, AVID, Photoshop, Illustrator

Screen/Comics Writing Final Draft, Highland, Scrivener, Celtx

Creative Editing, Sound Editing, Producing, Directing, Cinematography, Sound Recording, Sound Design, Story Editing, Post Supervising, Consulting

Professional Supervising, Project Management, Budgeting