Leena Pendharkar
Associate Professor of Production | Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES
Leena Pendharkar is an award-winning writer and director in film and television.
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Biography
Leena Pendharkar is an Emmy nominated, Award-Winning Director and Writer. She is currently in the process of making her third independent feature film, Days with Dandekar, starring Iqbal Theba (Glee). Her script for was selected for the Film Independent Script Lab, and Tribeca All Access, and is slated for filming in 2025.
Leena premiered her sophomore feature film, 20 Weeks, at the Los Angeles Film Festival. 20 Weeks played in festivals all over the country, and was described as an “intimate, compassionate take on abortion” by the Los Angeles Times. It was distributed in theaters and on Hulu, and is now available on a number of platforms.
In television, she directed the movie, A Date with Deception for the Lifetime Movie Network, and episodes of Hello Jack! for Apple TV Plus, for which she was nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy award.
Leena's award-winning short films have also played extensively in festivals, and been distributed on platforms such as Omeleto, ShortsTV and Vimeo Staff Pick.
Education (3)
University of California at Riverside: MFA, Master of Fine Arts, Screenwriting
University of California at Berkeley: M.A., Master of Journalism, Emphasis in Documentary Filmmaking
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: B.A., Public Policy Analysis / English Literature
Areas of Expertise (5)
Screenwriting
Directing/Producing Independent Film
Directing/Producing Digital Media Web TV
Film/Media Financing
Directing
Industry Expertise (5)
Media Production
Writing and Editing
Research
Motion Pictures and Film
Education/Learning
Affiliations (3)
- Directors Guild of America
- Film Independent
- Women in Film
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