Uday is a Maryland-born filmmaker who aims to cultivate an operatic and frenzied language of intimacy in his work. He tells stories that center the inner lives of first-gen Americans navigating their evolving understanding of what love and connection look like to them as adults, with varying degrees of success.
He is currently pursuing an MFA in Film Directing at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) - his narrative short film Odyssey Baby, which he wrote, directed and edited during the first year of his MFA, was selected as part of a juried curation of student films at the CalArts end-of-year showcase in 2024. The film explores the impact of neurodivergence on a relationship.
Professionally, Uday has production experience working as a Script Supervisor, 3rd AD and Key PA on music videos, short films, and feature films. He recently worked in the Direction team on the feature film Afwaah, produced by Benaras Media and T-Series - it is currently steaming on Netflix. Uday has also worked in the documentary, photography, interview, and online magazine spaces.
Prior to attending CalArts, Uday was one of 20 artists selected for the Rickshaw Film Foundation Writers’ Room, a 10-week program where writers primarily of South Asian descent workshop feature film and television pilot scripts to the point where they are ready to be shopped for development.
In his past life, Uday worked in account strategy at tech startups in Boston, an experience that informs his work to this day. He counts Studs Terkel, Garrett Bradley, Jia Zhangke, Juzo Itami and Ramy Youssef as major influences. In his spare time, he enjoys making unsolicited playlists for his friends.
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Contact: udaymisra@students.calarts.edu