Priyanka Verma is a director and cinematographer based in India, specializing in documentary films that focus on social justice issues. Her work is dedicated to telling the stories of marginalized communities, aiming to connect people through empathy and understanding. Priyanka believes in the power of film to challenge perspectives and create social change.
A graduate of AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, Priyanka has over ten years of experience in the film industry, working on over 150 films as a director, producer and cinematographer. Her cinematography for Critical Juncture (2022) earned multiple nominations, including at the LA Independent Women Film Awards and the Toronto International Women Film Festival. Her recent work on the four-part docuseries Baited (2023), which explores the effects of technology on marginalized communities in India, was selected for the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival.
Priyanka is passionate about creating space for people from the communities she films, both in front of and behind the camera. She believes that the process of filmmaking must empower the people whose stories are being told.
She has worked with numerous non-profit organizations, including Global Citizen, Purpose, ALNAP, WaterAid India, UNICEF, WHO, and International Justice Mission (IJM), and her work has been featured in leading media outlets such as Thomson Reuters, Rest Of World, WION, Hindustan Times, and 60SecondDocs. She has directed and produced branded documentary films for Smart City Mission, International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Solar Alliance (ISA). Her commercial clients include Meta, WhatsApp, Tinder, and Nykaa.
In 2023, Priyanka co-founded India Doc Project from the ground up, bringing impactful documentaries to Indian audiences.
- Interaction Doc Workshop - 2023
- Docedge Kolkata - 2023
- National Film Development Corporation Screen Writing Course - 2020
Professional Trainings:
Filmography
Documentary
Come As You Are - Short Doc - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2022
Cigarette Stuffed Animals - Short Doc - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2022
Critical Juncture - Documentary Feature - Co-Director & Dir. of Photography - 2021 Official Selection: L.A. Independent Women Film Awards (U.S), Toronto International Women Film Festival (Canada) and Women's International Film Festival Nigeria
Baited - Documentary Series - Dir. of Photography - 2022 Official Selection: Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival
Body Pandemic - Short Doc - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2021
The Heart Revolution - Feature - Dir. of Photography (India Schedule) - 2019
Women Walk the Streets of Delhi In Memory of 'Nirbhaya' - Short Doc - Director, Producer, Cinematographer - 2018
Transgenders: Why Is It Difficult To Join The Workforce? - Short Doc - Director, Dir. of Photography - 2018
Painting One Slum At A Time- Short Doc - Producer - 2018
30 Under 30 - Ten episode doc series - HT Digital Streams - Series Producer, Director, Dir. of Photography - 2018
India's First Women - Three episode doc series - HT Digital Streams- Series Producer, Director, Dir. of Photography - 2018
Paddling with Purpose - WION Exclusive - Co-Director, Dir. of Photography - 2017
City Spaces - Changing India - WION Exclusive - Director, Dir. of Photography - 2017
Palliative Care - WION Exclusive - Director, Dir. of Photography - 2016
Inside The World Of Child Actors - WION Original - Director, Dir. of Photography - 2016
Broth Of Hope- WION Original - Director, Dir. of Photography - 2016
Death of An Art Form Inside Kathputli Colony - Short Doc - Director, Dir. of Photography - 2016
The Moving Stories - Feature - Asst. Cinematographer, Asst. Producer - 2014
The Arms Drop - Feature - Addl. Cinematography- 2014
Volume One - Feature - Asst. Director - 2014
Advocacy Films
Feminist Youth Leadership Lab - Client: Gender At Work India & Star Hopper Studios - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2022
Gender Budgeting - Client: UN Women India Director & Dir. of Photography - 2022
ALNAP's 25th Anniversary - Client: ALNAP & Fat Rat Films - Dir. of Photography - 2022
Leadership and Movement Building Campaign - Client: Girls Not Brides - Director & Dir. of Photography (India schedule) - 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic and mental health: Laxmi’s story - India - Client: WHO - Dir. of Photography - 2021
Fashion Waste - A three episode series - Client: Purpose - Series Producer, Director & Dir. of Photography - 2020
Mental Health Awareness - A three episode series - Client: IIT Delhi - Series Producer, Director, Dir. of Photography - 2019
The Ghastly Face of Bonded Labor - Client: IJM - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2019
When Each Time You Cross The Road, It's An Unpleasant Memory - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2019
Women Manual Scavengers In India - Client: Water Aid India - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2019
The Rising Stars of Delhi Slums- Client: Save The Children - Director - 2019
What Queer Indians Are Saying About Online Dating? - Client: Tinder - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2018
Fiction
Pavlov's Dog - Short - Dir. of Photography - 2018
Rangoon - Feature - Fourth Asst. Dir. of Photography - 2015
Branded Content
Vistaraku - Client: Meta -Dir. of Photography - 2022
Accenture Sustainability Innovation Challenge - Client: Accenture & Global Citizen - Director & Dir. of Photography - 2022
How To Deal With Stress & Anxiety - Mental Health - Client: Nykaa -Dir. of Photography - 2021
Dating Ka Pehla Din - A Spoken Word | feat. Simran Natekar & Vishnu Kaushal- Dir. of Photography - 2021
Panasonic Air Conditioners - Supervising Producer - 2020
World Breastfeeding Week 2020 Pigeon India - Supervising Producer - 2020