NIRAV BHAKTA

In 2018, we were fortunate to meet Nirav Bhakta when we judged the HBO APA Visionaries competition. Then in 2019, we nominated him for the CBS Leadership Pipeline Challenge, and not only was he selected for the inaugural class, he was one of three directors to advance to the finals!
Nirav is a filmmaker with goals of telling stories of the South Asian diaspora. He’s resourceful, unapologetic and bold as an individual. There was no doubt in our minds why his HBO APA Visionaries-winning short “Halwa” (co-directed with Gayatri Bajpai) stood out or why his sophomore short “Thank You, Come Again” leaves you stunned by the end. A true multi-hyphenate (actor-writer-filmmaker), Nirav approaches his work with honesty, courage, and clarity of vision, and we cannot wait to see what he will make in the future!
—Michelle K. Sugihara, Executive Director, CAPE