Indian American Filmmaker and Actor Sujata Day Signs With Talent Company Mosaic
- Her directorial debut “Definition Please,” was recently acquired by filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s Array and is currently streaming on Netflix.
Indian American filmmaker and actor Sujata Day has signed up with talent company Mosaic for representation in all areas. Her directorial debut “Definition Please,” was recently acquired by filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s Array and is currently streaming on Netflix.
The film, also written by and starring Day, follows Monica Chowdhary (Day), a National Spelling Bee champ who hasn’t really accomplished much in life as she deals with a sick mom and mentally ill brother. Together they redefine themselves as they walk the line between their American and Indian cultures. The film stars Ritesh Rajan, Jake Choi, Anna Khaja, Parvesh Cheena, Sonal Shah, Tim Chiou, Kunal Dudheker, Meera Simhan and Maya Kapoor.
Although it is not autobiographical, Day told American Kahani in an earlier interview that her directorial debut is “loosely based on her relationship with her family and friends, and growing up Indian American in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.”
“The indie film earned multiple awards on its festival circuit including the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at San Francisco CAAM Fest, Best Feature Film at Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, and Outstanding Directorial Debut Award at the South Asian Film Festival of America,” according to Variety. “Day also received the Special Jury Award for Fresh Narrative Voice at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. For her work illuminating race and mental illness on film, Day was additionally profiled for NBCUniversal News Group’s Inspiring America series,’ the portal added.
In 2017, Day wrote, produced, directed and starred in “Cowboy and Indian,” which is currently being developed as a television series. She has an impressive acting portfolio as well. She is known for her role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” which was adapted into “Insecure” for HBO. She was a guest star on Netflix’s “I Think You Should Leave” with Tim Robinson. She also appeared in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Life in Pieces.” She was a narrative features juror for the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles in 2018 and made the 2018 list for NBC Asian America Presents: A to Z.