Vaishali Sinha is an award-winning filmmaker originally from India. She recently directed and produced the feature documentary Ask the Sexpert about Dr. Mahinder Watsa, a 93-year-old retired OBGYN and a sex advice columnist for a daily column in Mumbai. Despite sex being a taboo topic in India, the column’s brand of non-moralistic advice and humor has emboldened many to write in with their questions. The columnist gains popularity against the backdrop of a ban on sex education in schools. The film premiered at Hot Docs International Film Festival 2017, won the jury award for Best Documentary at the New Orleans Film Festival and the Critics Choice Award for “Best Documentary” in Mumbai. The film is now nominated for a 2018 Grierson Award: The British Documentary Awards. Ask The Sexpert was invited to the prestigious IDFA in Amsterdam as “Best of Fests.” The film had its U.S. television premiere on PBS in 2018 and was launched in January as a top pick on Netflix India.
Sinha also co-directed/produced the feature documentary Made in India about the human stories behind the phenomenon of outsourcing surrogate mothers to India. The film premiered at Hot Docs Film Festival and aired on PBS in 2012. The film received several jury awards at film festivals and was nominated for the Ridenhour Prize for excellence in truth-telling. Made in India is currently a case study at Harvard Business School for their class on ethics. One of India’s leading newspapers, The Hindu, says, “The film does not judge, it only states and allows the viewer that prerogative.”
Sinha has received support for her films from ITVS, the MacArthur Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, Catapult Fund, Firelight Media, Playboy Foundation, Chicken & Egg Pictures, The Fledgling Fund, Center for Asian American Media, Mozilla, Ford Foundation, Nextpix and more.
