Priya Vashist
3022 BATTEN ARTS & LETTERS
NORFOLK, 23529
Priya Vashist is an award-winning filmmaker and educator, currently serving as Program Director and Assistant Professor of Cinema and Television production at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Her work centers on the representation of queer characters, with a particular focus on queer South Asian immigrants, and is grounded in a broader commitment to social justice. Through both narrative and experimental forms, Priya explores complex themes including identity, race, sexuality, immigration, intergenerational relationships, power, and freedom.
Her films and screenplays have won awards and been official selections at numerous national and international festivals, including Academy Award– and BAFTA-qualifying events such as Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, and Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival. Her work has also been presented at academic conferences including the University Film and Video Association (UFVA).
Priya holds an MFA in Cinema Production from San Francisco State University.
M.F.A. in Cinema Production, San Francisco State University, (2019)
Research Interests
Research interests include queer representation in film and television, particularly queer South Asian immigrant narratives, with emphasis on identity, race, sexuality, immigration, intergenerational relationships, power, and freedom.
Articles
- Vashist, P. (2023). Visibility and Values: A Compelling Analysis of Dancing and Why It Matters Dancing Women: Choreographing Corporeal Histories of Hindi Cinema By Usha Iyer. 288 pp. Illustrated. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. $38.95 paper. ISBN 978–0–19–093874–1.. Dance Chronicle 46 (3) , pp. 277-280.
- 2023: Diversity Champion Award, Old Dominion University
- 2022: Best Screenplay Award, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival
- 2021: Certificate of Merit, Kennedy Center American College Film Festival Region IV