CHANDI FILMS

Pallavi Somusetty (she/her/hers) is a filmmaker residing on Ohlone land (Oakland, CA) who creates doc portraits that center BIPOC voices in the hope that we feel fully seen in the complexities of our identities and journeys, and that meaningful impact can result. She is the co-director for the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc), serving a network of 1600+ non-fiction storytellers in the documentary field. Prior to this, Pallavi was a series producer for A-Doc’s Storytelling Initiative including the 2024 election-themed series, “Our Stories, Our Voices,” the 2022 Emmy-nominated series Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond) and AP for the inaugural 2020 series “Asian Americans in the Time of Coronavirus”.

 

In support of her feature debut in production, Coach Emily, Pallavi is a 2024 BAVC MediaMaker fellow and 2023 IDA Logan Elevate grantee. Her films have screened globally and her work has been supported by the IDA, Sundance, BAVC, CAAM, California Film Institute, Berkeley Film Foundation and more. Pallavi’s award-winning cinematography has appeared on Nat Geo and PBS. She holds a documentary-focused Master in Journalism from UC Berkeley and a BA in Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz. In her spare time she enjoys rock climbing and musical theater, and she supports incarcerated pregnant people as a doula. 

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Please note, as of 2024, Pallavi is on sabbatical from offering freelance video production services in order to focus on her feature film in production and her work supporting filmmakers at A-Doc.