{{short description|American filmmaker}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Anu Valia | image = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Indiana | occupation = director, producer, writer, actor | years_active = 2011–present | education = New York University | notable_works = ''Lucia, Before and After'', ''She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' | website = {{Officialsite|https://www.akvalia.com/}} }}
'''Anu Valia''' is an American television and film director, writer, actress, and producer best known for writing and directing the short film ''Lucia, Before and After'', which won the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=2017 Sundance Film Festival Awards: Global Independent Creativity Reaches New Heights |url=https://www.sundance.org/blogs/news/sundance-institute-announces-feature-film-awards-for-2017-sundance-film-festival |publisher=Sundance Institute |access-date=2020-08-15}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Anu Valia was born to a Sikh family in Indiana and grew up in the Greater Chicago area, specifically in the town of Schererville, Indiana.<ref name="trib"/><ref name="sikhnet">{{cite news |title=Anu Kaur Valia Makes Her Way In Comedy World |url=https://www.sikhnet.com/news/anu-kaur-valia-makes-her-way-comedy-world |access-date=4 August 2022 |work=SikhNet |date=2 October 2015 |language=en}}</ref> Valia studied dance from age 5, and in high school organized a charity dance performance to support people with HIV/AIDS.<ref name="trib">{{cite news |last1=Taubeneck |first1=Anne |title=How do you get guys to join a dance production? |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-05-12-0605120363-story.html |access-date=4 August 2022 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=12 May 2006}}</ref> After graduating from Morgan Park Academy in 2006, Valia went to school at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.<ref name="trib"/><ref name="IndiaWest">{{cite news |title=Filmmakers Anu Valia, Anjali Nayar Earn Spots on Director Roster of Production Company 'Majority' |url=https://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/filmmakers-anu-valia-anjali-nayar-earn-spots-on-director-roster/article_0ab42aaa-bc52-11e8-a7d0-674570671def.html |access-date=2020-09-22 |publisher=IndiaWest |date=2018-09-19 |archive-date=September 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920061444/https://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/filmmakers-anu-valia-anjali-nayar-earn-spots-on-director-roster/article_0ab42aaa-bc52-11e8-a7d0-674570671def.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Career == From 2011 to 2013, Valia served as a producer at CollegeHumor, appearing as herself in several videos and earning a nomination for a Webby Award.<ref name="imdb"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Anu Valia |url=https://www.freethebid.com/directors/anu-valia/ |website=Free The Bid |access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref>
Valia wrote and directed the short film ''Lucia, Before and After'', about a young woman waiting to have an abortion in Texas. The film won the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award.<ref name="Wrap">{{cite news |last1=Welk |first1=Brian |title=ShortList 2017: 'Lucia, Before and After' Reveals the Woman Behind an Abortion (Video) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/shortlist-2017-lucia-before-and-after-reveals-the-person-behind-abortion-video/ |publisher=The Wrap |date=2017-08-11}}</ref> In 2018, Valia joined the Los Angeles production company Majority, which works to create opportunities for female directors.<ref name="IndiaWest" />
She has directed episodes of shows including ''Never Have I Ever'', ''Mixed-ish'', ''Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens'', ''Love Life'', ''A.P. Bio'', ''And Just Like That...'', ''The Big Door Prize'' and ''The Afterparty''.<ref name="imdb">{{cite web |title=Anu Valia |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3060183/ |publisher=IMDb}}</ref> Additionally, Valia served as a story producer for the television adaptation of ''My Brother, My Brother and Me''.<ref name="imdb"/>
In July 2020, Valia, who is of Indian descent, was announced as a mentor in the inaugural year of a mentorship program connecting aspiring talent of South Asian descent in the television and film industry with actors, writers, and leaders who could mentor them in Hollywood.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=Twentieth Television's Reena Singh And Hillman Grad's Rishi Rajani Launch 'The Salon' South Asian Mentorship Program |url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/20th-century-fox-tv-reena-singh-hillman-grad-rishi-rajani-the-salon-south-asian-mentorship-program-1202990949/ |access-date=2020-09-22 |publisher=Deadline |date=2020-07-22}}</ref>
In December 2020, Marvel Studios announced that Valia will be directing episodes of the Disney+ streaming series ''She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a 2022 release.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paige |first1=Rachel |title=Tatiana Maslany Stars in new 'She-Hulk' Comedy Series Coming to Disney+ |url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/she-hulk-tatiana-maslany-mark-ruffalo-disney-plus |access-date=2020-12-10 |publisher=Marvel Entertainment |date=2020-12-10}}</ref>
In July 2021, it was announced Anu Valia would direct the film from a screenplay she wrote, with Olivia Wingate set to serve as producer.The film has received support from Cinereach, Hamptons International Film Festival,Tribeca Film Institute.
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official|https://www.akvalia.com/}} *{{IMDb name|3060183}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Valia, Anu}} Category:American film directors of Indian descent Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people
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