Gita Pullapilly

Gita Pullapilly is an award-winning screenwriter, producer and director known for her intimate and authentic storytelling. In 2015, Pullapilly was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim fellowship for her work as a filmmaker. Pullapilly and her writing partner, Aron Gaudet, were selected for the 2015 Black List for their screenplay, Crook County. In 2014, Pullapilly was selected as one of Variety's "10 Directors To Watch" for her narrative feature directorial debut, Beneath The Harvest Sky. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, its US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and was acquired by Tribeca Films for distribution in 2014. In 2013, Pullapilly won the "Euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers Live the Dream Grant" at the Gotham Awards. In 2009, Pullapilly co-wrote and produced the national, Emmy-nominated documentary, The Way We Get By a heartfelt story about three senior citizens finding purpose in their life. The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival, (SXSW), won 18 festival awards around the world, played theatrically in over 60 cities across the U.S and aired on the critically acclaimed, independent television series P.O.V. on PBS as a prime time special. That year, she was selected as one of Independent Magazine's "Filmmakers to Watch." In 2012, Pullapilly was one of the creators and executive producers on the national U.S. PBS program Lifecasters, which had its world premiere at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Pullapilly has received a number of grants for her projects including from ITVS, CPB, POV, MacArthur Foundation, and Fledgling Fund. In 2007, Pullapilly was selected as a WGBH Filmmaker-in-Residence. In 2005, she was chosen as the first filmmaker to become a Fulbright Senior Scholar to Jordan. In addition to her work in the entertainment field, Pullapilly also founded The Center for International Training, Education and Development, Inc. (CITED), a non-profit organization focused on training aid organizations in developing countries on how to champion and prioritize social issues with the media. Pullapilly has worked in developing countries including Vietnam, Kenya and India focusing on cancer and women's rights initiatives. Pullapilly graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.B.A. in Finance and holds a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.