ABOUT
Sej Saraiya (b. 1985) is interdisciplinary visual artist, an acclaimed photographer and filmmaker, recognized for her ethnographic and fine art photography that documents Indigenous cultures around the globe. With an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California, earned in 2009, Sej has embarked on immersive photographic journeys through the interiors of Asia and the Americas, creating poignant portraits that serve as windows into remote communities and their intertwined relationships with the environment. Her photographic work has taken her to some of the most remote corners of the world, where she has encountered invaluable treasures—from the tattooed headhunters of hidden India to the wisdom of medicine women in British Columbia, and from the shamans of the Venezuelan Amazonas to globally revered leaders and humanitarians such as Their Holinesses the Dalai Lama and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Sej’s mission centers on preserving the rich tapestry of global cultures and landscapes.
A dedicated leader in her field, Sej actively serves on the board of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP-LA), the Garifuna Indigenous Film Festival (GIIFF, now in its 13th year), and contributes to the Topanga Film Festival (TFF, now in its 18th season). She is also a Professional Member of the American Photographic Artists (APA) and a lead facilitator at the BRIDGE photography mentorship program. In 2024, Sej was the Founding Director of the World Culture Film Festival for the Art of Living Foundation. She actively engages in thought leadership through speaking engagements, workshops, and panel discussions at universities, museums, and film festivals. Sej's work has garnered attention in prestigious publications, including ELLE, LA YOGA, DEADLINE, Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, and USA Today, and has been exhibited at art galleries, museums, and prominent venues like John Wayne Airport, with her photographs adorning the walls of private collectors around the world.
Sej's short fiction film, THE CURIOUS WOODS (2021), which highlights the beauty and necessity of nature in human existence, has screened at numerous film festivals, collecting over 30 awards, including Best Environmental Film and Best Director. Another short, THE LANGUAGE THEY SPOKE (2019), reflects on the often-overlooked value of silence in a busy world, winning accolades including Best Experimental Film. In 2023-2024, Sej co-directed FROM HEAD TO HEART, a documentary that explores the humble beginnings of the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values, set for release in 2025. In addition, she is in post-production on her feature documentary, THE DANCE OF FREEDOM (2026), which honors a tribe of women she captured through her lens five years prior and deeply admires.
Now residing in Topanga, California, Sej Saraiya continues to blend visual storytelling through photography and film, passionately advocating for the preservation of the world’s diverse cultures and ecosystems.
The reason I photograph is to experience and share human existence beyond the precinct of words. It takes an adventurous spirit to venture out to the farthest corners of this earth, but those handful who do are obliged to bring back the stories that haven’t been heard, to shine light on the responsibilities that come with sharing a planet—the importance and urgency of which I portray through my photographs.
What drives my photography is a thirst to tell the stories that haven’t been heard and share uplifting perspectives on the world that haven’t been seen. At least in the dominant cultures. I have lived in places with no running water, climbed active volcanoes, walked for days to reach a spiritually significant glacier 12,000 ft. above sea level, spent years communicating with people who don’t speak my language, photographed in scorching deserts; all to bring back stories that can create a positive impact on this planet. With each new environment, my innate ability to navigate unfamiliar cultures has allowed me to make connections with people of all backgrounds and enabled me to obtain images that connect with viewers at the same deep level I connected with.
EXHIBITIONS & TALKS
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 — Beyond Borders
(Curator: Bisa Bennett, Director & Chief Curator, Artio Gallery)
European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, Spain2026 — Atlas of Humanity
(Curator: Martin Vega, Founder & Curator, Atlas of Humanity)
Galerie Joseph le Palais, Paris, France2026 — Atlas of Humanity
(Curator: Martin Vega, Founder & Curator, Atlas of Humanity)
One Art Space, New York, USA2025 — International Photo Awards (IPA) Winners (Juried Selection)
House of Lucie (projection), Athens, Greece2025 — Things We Carry: A Contemporary Asian Experience
(Curator: Andrea Marshall, Director, Studio Montclair)
Studio Montclair, New Jersey, USA2025 — Coastal Reflections (Juried Exhibition)
Malibu City Gallery, Malibu, USA2023 — 2022: A Year of Duality
(Jurors: American Society of Media Photographers)
Photo Impact Gallery, West Hollywood, USA2023 — APA Chicago: Artist’s Perspective
(Juror: Natasha Egan, Executive Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography)
Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, USA2023 — Bold Beauty Project
(Juror: Nancy Kaye, President, ASMP-LA)
The Art Room, Downtown Los Angeles, USA2022 — Aging as Art
(Curated by the Council on Aging)
Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, USA2022 — KAPWA: A Communal Spirit
(Curator: Hon Huang)
Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles, USA2022 — A World From Home II (Virtual Exhibition)
(Curated by Nancy Kaye, President, ASMP-LA)
American Society of Media Photographers2021 — Untitled Group Exhibition
(Curator: Kate Kincaid, Gallery Owner)
Topanga Canyon Gallery, Topanga, USA2021 — Aging as Art
(Curated by the Council on Aging)
Newport Beach Central Library, Santa Ana, USA2021 — Aging as Art
(Curated by the Council on Aging)
Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, USA2021 — Untitled Group Exhibition
(Curator: Alison Zavos)
Foley Gallery, New York, USA2021 — Poetry of the Earth
(Curator: Deja Cross, Film Festival Director)
Rishikesh International Film Festival, Rishikesh, India2021 — Aging as Art
(Curated by the Council on Aging)
Vi Smith Concourse Gallery, Orange County, USA2020 — Untitled Group Exhibition
(Curator: Alison Zavos)
Blank Wall Gallery, Athens, Greece2020 — Aging as Art
(Curated by the Council on Aging)
Newport Beach Central Library, Santa Ana, USA2020 — Topanga Artists Studio Tour
Topanga, USA2020 — Aging as Art
(Curated by the Council on Aging)
Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, USA2020 — A World From Home (Online Group Exhibition)
(Curated by Nancy Kaye, President, ASMP-LA)
American Society of Media Photographers2020 — Sacred Landscapes
Rishikesh International Film Festival, Tapovan, India2018 — Animal Advocacy Through Art
(Curated by N. Ford, APA Award-Winning Photographer)
Lois Lambert Gallery, Los Angeles, USA2018 — Non-Duality Among the Indigenous
(Invited by Freda Sideroff, Film Festival Director)
Electric Lodge Art Gallery, Los Angeles, USA2018 — Kapwa: A Communal Spirit
(Curator: Hon Huang)
Nous Tous Art Gallery, Los Angeles, USA2017 — School’s Out Forever
(Curator: Jalal Poehman, Award-Winning Artist)
Legato Art Gallery, Los Angeles, USA2017 — Evoking the Unseen
(Curator: Jeffrey Ainis, Associate Editor, The Hollywood Reporter)
Venice Love Shack, Los Angeles, USA2017 — Beatles and the Indian Influence
(Curator: Phil Goldberg, Author of American Vedas)
Santa Monica Assembly Hall, Los Angeles, USA2017 — Advaita or Non-Duality
(Curator: Deja Cross, Film Festival Director)
Shangri-La, Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, USA2017 — Advaita or Non-Duality
(Curator: Tribhuvan Chauhan, Gallery Owner)
Uttra Art Gallery, Rishikesh, India
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 — Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Conference
(Invited by Ariela Goharik Kiradjian)
Westlake Village Inn, Westlake, USA2022 — Topanga Film Festival (Featured Artist)
(Curated by Urs Baur, Film Festival Director)
Topanga, USA2022 — Revel Silk: Indigenous Women
(Curated by Monica Dogra, Musician & Actress)
Houndstooth Studio, Los Angeles, USA2022 — Indigenous Wisdom
(Curated by Freda Sideroff, Festival Director)
Electric Lodge Art Gallery, Garifuna Indigenous International Film Festival, Venice, USA2021 — A Taste of India (Garden Event)
(Curated by Nicole Muyingo, Founder MUY House)
Culver City, USA2020 — A Taste of the World
(Invited by Graham Brooks, MUY House)
Froggies, Topanga, USA2019 — Remote Cultures, Ancient Wisdom & Advaita
(Invited by Jim Burklo, Dean of Religious Studies)
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA2019 — Indigenous Peoples of the World
(Invited by Professor Mugdha Yeolekar)
California State University, Fullerton, USA2019 — Namaste India
(Invited by Professor Mugdha Yeolekar)
Short Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles, USA2019 — Advaita or Non-Duality
(Invited by Deja Cross, Film Festival Director)
Rishikesh International Film Festival, Tapovan, India2017 — Advaita or Non-Duality
Maharishi “Beatles” Ashram, Rishikesh, India
SELECTED TALKS, LECTURES, and PANELS
2025 — Photo Talk
Galerie 24b, Paris, France2025 — Photo Talk
House of Lucie, Athens, Greece2024 — Sacred Art of Storytelling (Panel Host)
World Culture Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA2024 — Environment in Film (Panel Host)
World Culture Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA2024 — Leveraging Film Festivals (Panelist)
World Culture Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA2023 — Film as a Tool for Decolonization (Panelist)
Garifuna Indigenous International Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA2023 — Post-Colonial Philanthropy (Panel Host)
Topanga Film Festival, Topanga, USA2023 — BRIDGE Program, Los Angeles Cohort (Assistant Facilitator, 16-week program)
American Society of Media Photographers & BKC, Los Angeles, USA2023 — Creativity & Consciousness: The Influence of Spirituality on Artistic Expression (Panelist, with Marc Baraka Strauch)
Los Angeles, USA2022 — The Indigenous Story (Panel Host)
Topanga Film Festival, Topanga, USA2022 — Remote Cultures and Ancient Wisdom (Lecture)
Big Bear Yoga Festival, Big Bear, USA2022 — A Whole New World (Lecture)
Culture Journeys Kids Summer Camp, Hermosa Beach, USA2022 — Learning from Ancient Cultures (Lecture)
Garifuna Indigenous International Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA2021 — The Meditative Eye: An Exploration in Seeing from Within (Panel Discussion, with Marc Baraka Strauch)
Rishikesh Film Festival, Rishikesh, India2021 — Shakti (Moderator)
Rishikesh Film Festival, Rishikesh, India2021 — Remote Cultures, Ancient Wisdom & Non-Duality (Lecture)
Yangchenma Arts & Music, Topanga, USA2021 — Photographing Remote Cultures (Lecture)
Learning Bird, Canada2020 — Sociology of Globalization (Lecture)
Symbiosis School of Photography, Pune, India2020 — Tales of the Desert Gypsies (Lecture)
Yangchenma Music & Arts, Topanga, USA2019 — Individualism, Collectivism & Non-Duality (Lecture)
Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, USA2019 — Remote Cultures, Ancient Wisdom & Advaita (Lecture)
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA2019 — Infinite in its Silence (Panel Discussion)
California State University, Fullerton, USA2019 — Journey Through India (Workshop)
Short Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles, USA2018 — Empowered Indigenous Filmmaker Masterclass
(with TELUS Storyhive & VoVo Productions)
New Hazelton, Canada2018 — Empowered Indigenous Filmmaker Masterclass
(with TELUS Storyhive & VoVo Productions)
Kamloops, Canada2017 — Storytelling, Filmmaking & Consciousness (Lecture, with Marc Baraka Strauch)
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi “Beatles” Ashram, Rishikesh, India
MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS
ARTICLES
2022 — Legends of America’s Sacred Landscapes (Cover Feature)
USA Today Magazine, September 20222022 — Remote Cultures and Ancient Wisdom
USA Today Magazine, May 20222021 — Donyi Tolo: Apatani
STEAM Journal, Claremont University, March 2019 (published 2021)PHOTOGRAPHS PUBLISHED
2022 — Cover Photograph
Belili Magazine, 2022 Issue (USA / Belize)2021 — 26 Shades of Red (12-page photography spread)
Moevir Magazine, Paris, 2021 Issue2020 — The Intercultural Nomad by Aletta Bredewold
Nomadict Magazine, April 20202019 — An Introduction to World Music by William Cratty & Jeffrey Ainis
Kendall Hunt Publishing, USA2019 — The Inner Pilgrimage of Practice: Meditation Becomes Empowered on Mahasivratri by Nandhiji
LA Yoga Magazine, February 10, 20192018 — Cover Photograph
The Journals of Micah by Daniel Nesher2018 — Cover Art
Silence in Bloom (Music Album) by Eman Attallah2018 — SAADA (South Asian Digital Archives) Event
Malibu TimesINTERVIEWS, PRESS & MEDIA
2024 — Inaugural World Culture Film Festival in Los Angeles to Open With “The Monk and the Gun”
DEADLINE, by Matthew Carey, July 20242024 — Tom Holland, Oscar-Nominated Director Pawo Choyning Dorji Earn Awards at Inaugural World Culture Film Festival
DEADLINE, by Matthew Carey, July 20242024 — Inaugural World Culture Film Festival to Celebrate Uplifting and Unifying Global Cinema in Los Angeles
American Kahani, July 20242023 — Conservation Photographer Sej Saraiya and Her Dedication to Cultural Preservation
ELLE Magazine, July 20232023 — Female Filmmakers Chronicle the Rise of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation
Film Daily, by Callum Bradshaw, July 20232023 — Photographer Sejal Saraiya Captures the Powerful Stories of Indigenous Elders
Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, by James Nottingham, June 20232023 — Sej Saraiya’s Conservation Photography Shines Light on Indigenous Tribes and Climate Action
Mashable, by Pau Castillo, February 20232022 — Santa Fe Film Festival
Roswell Daily Record, by Christina Stock, January 5, 20222022 — The Curious Woods Filmmaker Found Inspiration in the Healing Power of Nature
Albuquerque Journal, by Adrien Gomez, January 10, 20222022 — Indigenous Story Panel: 17th Annual Topanga Film Festival
The Basic Cinephile2019 — World Religions Seen Through a Photographer’s Lens
The Daily Titan, by Kim Pham, November 16, 20192018 — Animal Advocacy Through Art
LA Yoga Magazine, by Jeffrey Ainis, November 20, 2018
AWARDS
PHOTOGRAPHY
2026 — Art Prize Competition — Second Place
Artio Gallery, New York, USA
2025 — Honorable Mention
World Street Photography Awards (WSPA)
2025 — Second Place Award Recipient
International Photo Awards (IPA)
2025 — Bronze Winner
Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA)
2022 — First Place
“Perspectives” American Photographic Artists (APA Chicago)
FILM
2023 — Best Film (February Award)
Reale Film Festival — The Curious Woods (2021)
2022 — Best Short Film
Great Message International Film Festival — The Curious Woods (2021)
2022 — Best Short Film
Global India International Film Festival — The Curious Woods (2021)
2022 — Best Nature & Environment Short (Achievement of Excellence)
TMIF Awards — The Curious Woods (2021)
2022 — Best Costume Design
New York International Women Festival — The Curious Woods (2021)
2022 — Best Director (October Award)
International Motion Picture Awards — The Curious Woods (2021)
2021 — Nominee: Best Female Director
Montreal Independent Film Festival — The Curious Woods (2021)
2020 — Best Editing (shared with Pavel Safonov)
Global Taj International Film Festival — The Language They Spoke (2019)
2019 — Best Experimental Film
L’Âge d’Or International Arthouse Film Festival — The Language They Spoke (2019)
AFFILIATIONS
2023–2024 — Co-Founder, Co-Executive Director, Head of Programming
World Culture Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA2022–2024 — Facilitator
ASMP-LA BRIDGE Photography Mentorship Program2022–Present — Board Member
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)2018–Present — Board Member
Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival2018–Present — Professional Member
American Photographic Artists (APA)2017–2018 — Creative Director
Rishikesh International Film Festival, India
EDUCATION
2007–2009 — Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Screenwriting
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA2008 — Writing for the Screen
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom2003–2007 — Bachelor of Science, Information Technology
Mumbai University, Mumbai, India
