As a filmmaker, Vanita gravitates toward emotionally complex, powerful dramas. Her work often focuses on the psychological life and internal conflict of the protagonist and their journey of self-discovery.
Vanita directed the short film LACUNAE (13 min), starring Natalie Portman and Jim Parrack, as part of the feature THE HEYDAY OF THE INSENSITIVE BASTARDS (2015). She also wrote, directed, edited and produced GO NORTH (22 min), which screened at several festivals including SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and NY Shorts Fest. The film won Best Short at Reading Film Fest in Pennsylvania and tied for Best Drama Short at Pollygrind Film Festival in Las Vegas. Vanita is the recipient of the DGA John Frankenheimer Memorial Fellowship and grants from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Motion Picture Association of America. She was also awarded the 2015 PAGE Stowe Story Labs Fellowship for her first feature script.
A first-generation South Asian American, Vanita was born in India and grew up in the suburbs of Pennsylvania. Her educational background is in engineering and business, with a concentration in entertainment and media. After spending several years working in the corporate world, Vanita moved to Los Angeles to study film directing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. B.S. Columbia University, M.B.A. New York University, M.F.A. University of California, Los Angeles.