Niva Dorell is mixed race, American-Israeli filmmaker and writer whose work centers on themes of identity, loss, and connection across cultures. Her first short film KINGS (starring Ricky Harris and Michael Jace) caught the attention of Robert Zemeckis and John Singleton, who both chose to mentor her on the project. The final film won Showtime’s Black Filmmakers Grant, was lauded at film festivals, and became one of seven films featured on the first AFROCENTRICITY (available on Amazon).

Niva’s next film, MILK AND HONEY (starring Russell Hornsby and Maya Rubin) was inspired by the first connection between her parents - an Israeli woman and African American man - in the 1950s. The film premiered on Showtime’s Black Filmmaker’s Showcase, competed at the Jerusalem International Film Festival, and aired on BET-Jazz. She then directed the 2-hour television movie WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS (featuring Academy Award-winner Louis Gossett Jr., Kym Whitley, and Keshia Knight Pulliam), as well as several music videos, PSAs, and theater productions. Her latest directorial effort is the short film TRAVELING MERCIES, produced by Social Cinema Foundation and currently making the festival circuit.

Upcoming projects that Niva wrote and will direct include: short film THE LOTTO LINE, adapted from Christola Phoenix’s upcoming memoir; feature film LIVING, LIVING (51 Entertainment) based on a personal love story; and television series BYE BYE BABY (The Wondermnt), adapted from Caroline Sullivan’s memoir Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers. In addition to her narrative work, Niva co-directed the feature documentary SKID ROW (featuring Pras Michel of The Fugees) and has developed multiple scripted and non-scripted concepts. She is currently writing her first horror feature film. Niva’s writing has been supported by residencies at Hedgebrook, Cill Rialaig, Millay Arts, and the Vermont Studio Center, and championed by mentors such as David Mamet as Rodrigo Garcia.

After two decades in Los Angeles, Niva moved to New York’s Hudson Valley, where she stays active in its vibrant artistic community. She served as the Visual Arts Director at CREATE council on the arts, Marketing and Box Office Manager for LUMBERYARD Center for Film and Performing Arts, and, most recently, curated Goddess: Origins of Wonder for the Athens Cultural Center. She is a member of New York Women in Film and Television, holds an M.F.A. from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and a B.A. from Temple University. Niva publishes a monthly newsletter about the creative process on her Substack, The Think Tank.