a small star, the letter A, and the letter S
Woman with curly black hair smiling at a small dog on her desk, surrounded by camera gear and a computer, in front of a window with a city view.

Amrita Singh is an Indian-American filmmaker, 
born in Chennai, raised in Chicago, and based in NYC.

A logo featuring a black laurel wreath encircling a diagonal row of five colorful squares in cyan, yellow, green, red, and pink. Below, the text reads "SHORT OF THE WEEK" in black capital letters.
Black and white logo for the St. Louis International Film Festival featuring a wreath, the festival name, and a fleur-de-lis symbol.
Logo with a laurel wreath surrounding the text 'Official Selection Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival' in bold black letters.
LA Shorts International Film Festival Laurel
A black silhouette of a girl with a braid, sitting and looking through a telescope that is projecting film reel, surrounded by laurel branches. Text reads 'Official Selection Tasveer South Asian Film Festival Seattle.'
Logo for the Chicago International Film Festival 2021 Official Selection with black laurel branches.
Award logo for the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, 2022 official selection, featuring laurel wreaths and film-related icons.
Laurels surrounding the text 'Official Selection Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival' in black and white.
South Asian Film Festival of America
Digital badge for St. John's International Women's Film Festival 2021, featuring the festival logo, text, and laurel branches.
Award emblem for the 2019 Chicago South Asian Film Festival, with a laurel wreath design and text indicating official selection.
The image features a black and white design of an award or achievement emblem with a laurel wreath surrounding a space for text in the center.

Winning in America

Aishwarya Naryanan, 13, clashes with her immigrant coach-father and questions the meaning of success while vying for a spot at the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Short of the Week (2021)

The Chicago International Film Festival (2021)
LA Shorts International Film Festival (2021)
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (2021)
St. Louis International Film Festival (2021)
Tasveer Film Festival (2021)
South Asian Film Festival of America (2021)
Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival (2021)
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (2021)
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (2021)
Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival (2021)

DP: Dominica Eriksen
Writer, Director: Amrita Singh
Editor: Karishma Dev Dube
Producer: Leah Chen Baker Clardy
Starring: Rithika Tudmilla, Ranjan Singh

A group of students sitting on chairs on stage, with one girl standing at a microphone, performing or speaking in front of an audience, during a school event or performance.

2020, 11:39 min

America’s BFFs

Gwen and Monica have always been like sisters—until they’re thrown into the absurd and sparkly America’s BFFs, a game show where friendship is tested, televised, and maybe torn apart.

DP: Rashad Frett
Writer, Producer, Editor: Amrita Singh
Production Designer: Yulanda Yo-Rong Shieh
Starring: Eloise Cassidy, Grace Porter, and Paul Head

Two women in light pink hoodies smiling and posing for a mirror selfie, one flexing her arm muscle, in a gym or fitness studio.

2019, 8:42 min

Thank You,
Come Again

While working at her family's restaurant, a delivery girl’s crush on a familiar customer takes a weird turn.

DP: Kristin Kouke 
Producer: Gracie Vergara 
Writer, Director, Editor: Amrita Singh
Starring: Sadithi De Zilva, Karen Johal, and Jared Myers

Person wearing a helmet and jacket, taking a selfie with a smartphone outdoors.

2019, 10:04 min

The Somasundarams

On the day of their green card interview, a recently arranged couple must convince an official and themselves that their marriage is real, discovering unexpected closeness in the process.

Chicago South Asian Film Festival (2017)
NYWIFT Immigrant Stories Series (2018)
Film Lab (2021)

DP: Molly Gillis 
Producer: Gracie Vergara 
Writer, Director, Editor: Amrita Singh
Starring: Karen Johal, Hasnain Ali
and Jonathan Dauermann

A young woman with dark hair and earrings looking to the side, with a serious or thoughtful expression, in an indoor setting.

2019, 6:25 min

Foreign-Returned*

*Working Title

When Deepti, a disillusioned Indian-American software engineer, impulsively extends her stay in Nagercoil, India, to reconnect with her recently widowed grandmother, the sudden disappearance of the family maid sends them on a chaotic, oddly tender search through the mountains of southern India.

Adult with face and arms cut-out collage style, standing outdoors, wearing a traditional sari, holding one end with one hand, with trees and bushes in the background.

Supported by NYU Development Studio Lab and TorinoFilmLab NEXT.

About Amrita

Smiling woman with curly black hair, wearing a white t-shirt, crossing her arms, against a plain gray background.

Amrita Singh is an Indian-American filmmaker born in Chennai, India, and raised in Hyde Park, Chicago. She is an Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies at Pace University and received her MFA in Writing/Directing from NYU Tisch. Her thesis short film, Winning in America, premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival before screening at several Academy Award–qualifying festivals and being selected as a Short of the Week. Her writing credits include an episode for an upcoming series produced by Disney+ and Baboon Animation. In addition to teaching at Pace, Amrita collaborates with immigrant youth in public schools and through alternative-to-incarceration programs, using filmmaking as a means of self-expression. She is currently developing her debut feature, Foreign-Returned, set in her family’s hometown of Nagercoil, India. The project has been supported by the NYU Development Studio Lab, TorinoFilmLab NEXT, and the Still I Rise Films Fellowship.

Get in Touch

I’d love to hear from you.