Saila Kariat
Production
Biography
Saila Kariat, filmmaker, writer and entrepreneur pursued a career as an electrical engineer and builder while dreaming of filmmaking and writing. After obtaining her Ph.D. in electrical engineering, Saila worked as an engineer, manager, and marketeer at IBM and at a start-up. She also founded a residential construction company. She published many technical articles as a research staff member at IBM T.J. Watson Research center. As a filmmaker, she wrote, directed, and co-produced The Valley, the story of an Indian American entrepreneur seeking answers after the suicide of his daughter. The Valley was selected by over twenty film festivals and won best feature film in four, notably being invited to the Mumbai Film Festival. Her other feature screenplays include Gods and Demons, Love in the Time of Corona, Release, Gray and Jesus Land, an adaptation of the NYT bestselling novel of the same name.
Known For
Devastated by his daughter's suicide, an immigrant entrepreneur working in high-tech seeks answers to his lingering questions.
The Valley
Set between 1980s rural Indiana and a Dominican reform school, a white sister and her adopted black brother fight oppression, prejudice, and rigid dogma to survive.
Jesus Land
During a routine scan, a young couple navigating their first pregnancy discover a health condition that could gravely impact their baby, forcing them to re-examine their relationship and their future.
20 Weeks
Upon unlocking a portal to an alternate dimension where all his dreams have come true, struggling filmmaker Jake is forced to confront his idealized self.
The Alternate
For 30 years, Ed “Nardie” White has dedicated his life to uplifting and empowering African-American youth through the River City Drum Corps, teaching kids about their African roots and culture through music. Filmmakers Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté spent years in Louisville, KY, filming the charismatic founder and the many children he inspired. As he prepares to pass the torch to his successor and former student Albert, Nardie also reflects on the triumphs and bittersweet losses of the past three decades. River City Drumbeat is an inspirational story of music, love, and legacy set in the American South.