Saila Kariat
Saila, a filmmaker, writer, and entrepreneur pursued a career as an electrical engineer and builder while dreaming of filmmaking and writing. After obtaining her Ph.D. in electrical engineering, Saila worked as an engineer, manager, and marketeer at IBM and at a start-up. She also founded a residential construction company, Mukti Properties. Saila studied film at San Jose State University and was the valedictorian of the class of 2008. She made several short films before embarking on her first feature which she wrote, directed, and co-produced. The Valley is the story of an Indian American entrepreneur seeking answers after the suicide of his daughter; it is a commentary on the anxiety and depression faced by young people, especially in Silicon Valley. It was selected by over twenty film festivals and won best feature film in four, notably being invited to the Mumbai Film Festival. The Valley is currently streaming on Prime, Apple TV, Peacock and Roku. Her other feature screenplays include Gods and Demons, Love in the Time of Corona, Release and Gray, Jesus Land, which is currently in pre-production and will be filmed in 2025. She is a member of The Writer’s Grotto, Film Fatales, and SFFilm. Saila is married and has two grown daughters, Sabina Kariat (an animator and illustrator) and Tara Kariat (an arts administrator). She lives in the SF Bay Area with her husband and dog Kaya.
