Sriyanka Ray

During the last school year, some 104,000 New York City public school children lacked permanent housing- meaning 1 in 10 students were homeless. Thousands of children lived in homeless shelters, were “doubled up,” aka living with other families, were unsheltered in cars, abandoned buildings, or out on the streets. My latest film Homeroom Dreams is about Riverdale Avenue Middle School in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where 18% of the student population lacks permanent housing. Despite a broken system, limited budgets and crumbling infrastructure, Principal Pembroke and her staff along with parents are doing all that they can to help the students cope with these challenges and to create a safe and supportive second home at school. Every child should have a right to education and housing. If New York City is the city of dreams, why are we letting down our children? A massive thank you to @riverdale_avenue_middleschool and Principal @drbelle for letting me hang around school and trusting me to tell this story 🏫 FULL FILM IN BIO 🔗 #housingcrisis #homelessness #homelesscrisis #newyorkcity #homeless #nycpublicschools #studentlife #sth #studentsintemporaryhousing #unhoused #housingfirst #ericadams #doe #departmentofeducation #nycschools #brooklyn #brownsville #middleschool #teenage #endhomelessness #endhomelessnessnow

It’s so amazing that I get to wake up in New York City to do work that I love and get paid for it. In 2022, I got to make 4 films that I really care about, collaborate with the best of the best, interview and hang with incredible people, tell stories, play, laugh a lot and create work that I’m proud to share with the world. And maybe this work will make a little bit of a difference. Excited to see what 2023 brings! #filmmaker #documentaryfilmmaking #documentaryfilmmaker #director #producer #producerlife #womenfilmmakers #femaledirector #womeninfilmmaking #womeninfilm #browngirlsdocmafia #southasianfilm #newyorker #videojournalist #film #nonfiction

The Sweatshop of Wall Street is probably the work that I’m most proud of. I spent a year of my life working with two whistleblowers to investigate the corrupt workings of a direct sales and marketing company on Wall Street where employees were subject to low pay, sexual harassment, hazing and abuse. Though I made this film in 2017, Credico (and companies like it) still exist by preying on young people, women and immigrants who desperately need jobs. I still get emails and messages from people who tell me that they were going to take a job with a company like Credico but decided against it once they saw my film aka they were saved from a potentially toxic and exploitative situation. Watch the full film on my website: sriyankaray.com 🎥 Thanks @vast_phil for trusting me with this story. The fight continues ✊🏾 About the film: The Sweatshop Of Wall Street is a short documentary about the world of direct sales in New York City. The piece follows Phil and Zao, two young salespeople who made as little as $0.50 an hour hawking cellphone contracts to passersby in Brooklyn, New York. From a misleading Craigslist ad, to minuscule wages and questionable workplace routines, the documentary aims to expose the strange world of direct sales and marketing, and shed light on employment practices one has to see to believe. #newyork #newyorkcity #wallstreet #sweatshopfree #documentary #investigativejournalism #corription #sexualharassment #credico #pyramidscheme #scam #craigslist #badjob #laborrights

It’s been so amazing running BRICLab Film + TV with @cthoxie to support filmmakers @ashgohhua , @manseepants , @andrewnadkarni and their incredible documentary films. Last week we concluded our residency with an exclusive screening and talkback at @bricbrooklyn followed by a little party. It was so fun! Very excited to follow the journeys of these films and to keep supporting non fiction storytelling in whatever way or form 🎥 Applications are now OPEN for BRICLab Film & TV 2023-24. Spread the world and apply now 🎞️ #documentaryfilm #documentarylab #newyorkcity #film #filmscreening #briclab #filmandtv #filmmakers #nycartscene #filmlab #producerlife #livetv

Noboborsho spent at Fashion week Brooklyn❤️‍🔥

A few Sundays ago. #bengal #taki #india #latergram #rurallife #home

Very excited about Bitchitra Collective’s inaugural Documentary Film & Media Fellowship and honored to be one of the mentors ! Huge congratulations to my Bitchitraz, the grantees, fellow mentors and Indian women documentary filmmakers who are out there changing the world. Thankyou @colorcongress for supporting @bitchitracollective ❤️‍🔥 #indianfilmmaker #womenindocumentary #indianfilmmaker #womensupportingwomen #womeninfilmmaking #documentary #documentarygrant #fellowship #southasianfilm #southasianfilmmakers #nonbinaryfilmmakers #nonfiction #India #indianamerican #cinema #womendirectors

It was so fun being back IN PERSON at The New York Women in Film & Television’s MUSE awards 2023! One of the first times I had a public showcase of one of my films was at a NYWFT film festival years ago and I’ll always be grateful for that because it gave me confidence and validation back then when I was in between visas and unsure about my future making documentaries in America. But here I am wearing this gorgeous hand embroidered Kashmiri jacket (that took 9 months to make) and feeling happy being a part of this powerful community of NYC women in media who are changing the world ! @nywift #museawards #newyorkwomeninfilmandtelevision #womenfilmmakers #newyorkcity

Very excited to announce that applications are now OPEN for BRIC Lab Film & TV, a documentary lab I developed and manage at @bricbrooklyn 🎥 RESIDENCY BENEFITS -An unrestricted stipend of $2,500. -Up to $6,000 towards production cost -Access to courses through BRIC's Media Education program at no fee. -Access to BRIC production studios and post-production resources. -A mentor with industry experience relevant to your project -Professional development workshops tailored to the cohort’s interests and much MORE If you have a short/episodic or feature length non- fiction project and you live in NYC, apply now and spread the word! Deadline is May 8, 2023. LINK IN BIO 🔗 And hit me up with questions! #filmgrant #documentaryfilm #filmandtv #mediaresidency #documentaryfilmmaking #fellowship #mediafellowship #newyorkcity #nycartist #Brooklyn #brooklyncreatives #filmmakers

THE MOTHERS OF FLATBUSH: The Real Experts on Gun Violence Director | Producer : Sriyanka Ray Every victim of gun violence was someone’s child, and many left loved ones who never imagined losing a son or daughter this way. So how do you deal with the grief of losing a child to bullets and how do you heal? And what if your child’s case is still unsolved and their shooter is still free and roaming the streets of New York City? Full film on my website sriyankaray.com 🔗 #gunviolenceawareness #gunviolence #gunviolenceprevention #stopshootingstartliving #Brooklyn #blackmothers #blackmotherhood #motherhood #shootingvictims #unsolvedmurders #nypd #thegodsquad #mothersagainstgunviolence #newyorkcity #mothersforsafecities #activism

It was so amazing being in Mumbai and being able to make it to the Bitchitra Collective Mumbai hang! As an early member on the core committee, it’s been so moving to see this collective grow in such an organic and beautiful way. Bitchitra Collective: Indian Women in Documentary is a group of award-winning South Asian women/non-binary documentary filmmakers. This collective was born out of the need to urgently address the devastating effects of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis on our fellow women and non-binary audio-visual artists in India. Since then, The Bitchitra Collective has been responsive to the cultural, social, and political situations our members find ourselves in while also sharing resources, skills and amplifying each other’s films and voices. Im so grateful to be part of this incredibly inclusive and supportive community. If you are an Indian woman/non binary doc filmmaker, join us!

The last sunset of 2022 and the first sunset of 2023. Happy New Year ! May this year be full of peace, joy and beautiful moments of softness with the ones you love ❤️