Govindini Murty

Govindini Murty is a writer, actress, and independent filmmaker. Govindini has a B.A. from Yale University and has been published in The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and other media outlets. Govindini was born in India and moved to Canada when she was seven. Her father was an author and senior official in the Indian government and her mother is a Canadian anthropologist. When Govindini was fifteen, she lived a year on the island of Borneo, Malaysia. Govindini graduated from Yale University with a BA in East Asian Studies in 1997. Govindini went on to pursue acting in Vancouver, then Los Angeles, working in independent films, TV, commercials, and theater. She has done commercials for companies such as Allstate Insurance, Staples, and General Electric. Govindini has been a member of the Long Beach Shakespeare Company, playing numerous roles, including Miranda in "The Tempest." Other stage roles include Lady Nijo in "Top Girls" and Margot in "Dial "M" for Murder," for which she won a Best Actress Award.

From 2003-2004, Govindini wrote and acted in the independent feature "Terminal Island," directed by Jason Apuzzo. Irvin Kershner, director of "The Empire Strikes Back" mentored Govindini and Jason on "Terminal Island." Since then, Govindini has become an in-demand commentator on film, appearing on ABC's "At the Movies," CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, BBC, France's Canal Plus, AMC's "The Movie Club, and numerous national radio talk shows. Govindini has co-hosted (with Richard Roeper) an episode of ABC's "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper," the most popular movie review show in America. In 2010, Govindini and Jason Apuzzo launched Libertas Film Magazine, which covers independent films with a focus on human rights and individual freedom.

Govindini has gone on to write film commentary at The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, and other sites, and regularly covers film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, AFI, and TCM. Govindini has interviewed such notable film figures as Kurt Russell, Stan Lee, Werner Herzog, Maureen O'Hara, Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen, Tippi Hedren, Jane Russell, George Takei, and many others. Govindini has also interviewed women directors like Catherine Hardwicke, Lynn Shelton, and Lake Bell, and often writes about the need for greater representation of women both on-screen and behind the camera in Hollywood's movies. In 2013, Govindini spoke at Social Media Week LA's "Power Women in Entertainment" panel. Govindini also has a strong interest in space exploration, having been selected for a 2013 NASA Earth-Science Social. She has visited NASA-JPL many times, and has written about the need for more movies that accurately represent space science.

In 2016, Govindini acted in and produced the WWII women-led sci-fi film "UFO Diary," edited by Emmy Award-winning ABC editor Mitchell Danton, with VFX by Antony Vannapho ("The Avengers," "The Twilight Saga"), Kiel Figgins ("X-Men: First Class," "Oblivion"), Sean Dollins ("Prometheus," "Captain America"), Rini Sugianto ("The Hunger Games," "Iron Man 3"), and other talented VFX artists. "UFO Diary" had its festival premiere at the 2016 HollyShorts Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, where it opened the VFX Showcase, and has screened as an Official Selection of the 2016 Dragon Con Independent Film Festival, the 2016 Zamoxis Short Film Showcase, the 2017 Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, the 2017 Roswell Sci-Fi Film Festival, the 2017 San Pedro International Film Festival, and the 2018 Artemis Women in Action Film Festival. "UFO Diary" next screens at the 2018 Gen Con Film Festival. "UFO Diary" has over 10,000 fans on Facebook and has been featured in The Huffington Post and American Cinematographer magazine for its striking cinematography and cutting-edge VFX.