“I see filmmaking as a vessel for infinite connection. For magic to unravel. For change. For revolution. For collective liberation.”
Reaa Puri’s portfolio spans documentary and narrative films, addressing a spectrum of social issues that converge through an exploration of identity, kinship, and home. Reaa is passionate about collaborative and transformation-oriented storytelling, challenging the colonial origins of cinema, and moving towards a just future.
Reaa is a TEDX speaker and recipient of two Cannes Lion awards, the Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prize and the SFFilm Holbrooke Female Fund. She has received support from CAAM, SFFILM, BAVC, and UnionDocs. Her short films have played at Sundance Film Festival, Museum of Modern Art, DOC NYC, South by Southwest Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, London Asia Film Festival, SF IndieFest and BAMPFA. Previously, Reaa was an assistant director on the feature film, Marry Kom, starring Priyanka Chopra, streaming on Netflix. She was the show-runner of a Vh1 India TV show, and Director of Photography and Editor for a Nike campaign celebrating Black History Month. Reaa has formerly led video teams at Wear Your Voice Magazine, Carbonated.TV and Hearst Digital Media, and her photography has been published in Vogue Magazine.
Previously, Reaa co-founded Breaktide Productions, a women-of-color owned production company, which she helped grow between 2018-2024. Breaktide was named to YBCA’s 100 list of change-makers in 2019, and won the Reel Stories Collective Power Award in 2022.
Reaa earned her B.A. in Film and Media studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her creative practice is informed by her queerness, Kashmiri-Sikh heritage, and upbringing between Berkeley, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kuwait.
Get in touch at reaapuri@gmail.com to learn more.