CONTACT

Nani Sahra Walker

Nani Sahra Walker is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, executive producer, and writer-director. In 2026, she was named Best Filmmaker by NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA). Her debut narrative feature, Shakti (2025), received multiple awards and screened at Heartland International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and CAAMFest. Supported by the ARRI, the film is distributed by Buffalo 8 and is streaming worldwide on Prime Video, Tubi, and other platforms.

Walker executive produced the acclaimed short documentaries Kylie (Sundance 2023), Merman (Tribeca 2023), and The Last Repair Shop (Telluride 2023), which won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. Her feature documentary Other Nature (2012) screened internationally, including at BFI Flare, Outfest, and Frameline.

An alum of the ARRI , SFFILM, and BAFTA, Walker teaches documentary film at the University of California, Berkeley. She has served on juries and selection committees for international festivals and film labs and has mentored filmmakers through Film Independent's Global Media Makers, USC School of Cinematic Arts' American Film Showcase, and other international programs.

A native of Kathmandu, Nepal, Walker is based in Los Angeles.

Format: Scripted Feature

Genre: Drama

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

Academy Award - Documentary Short - 2024 (Executive producer)

Best Narrative Premiere Award, Heartland International Film Festival- 2025 (Shakti, as writer/director/producer)

Richard D. Propes Narrative Social Impact Award, Heartland International Film Festival - 2025 (Shakti, as writer/director/producer)

Best New Filmmaker, New Filmmakers Los Angeles - 2026 (Shakti, as writer/director/producer)

Best Social Justice Film, Tasveer Film Festival - 2025 (Shakti, as writer/director/producer)