Anjini Taneja Azhar is an award-winning director and screenwriter. However, her journey as a filmmaker started at her parents massive white desktop computer. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Anjini spent her childhood searching for something to be passionate about… her “thing.” As a young girl, she naturally took to writing. When she was seven, she’d sit at her parents’ creaky office chair, dinosaur machine, open a blank document, and type away. In a way, this was her first ever ‘set.’ Overtime, her love for storytelling and film grew deeper and deeper; a form of escapism from being an outcast while simultaneously giving her and her family a special way to come together. Finally, during her youth, Anjini found herself consistently coming home after school during filling her spare time writing short stories, scripts, (attempts at) books. Not realizing what was already in front of her, she continued searching aimlessly, every activity, hobby, sport, club, looking for her “thing.” Parallel to this, at age 11, she stumbled upon an acting agent in Los Angeles and agreed to sign, since trying new things seemed to be her only "thing" so far.  And from there it was a nosedive. It all happened so quickly. She fell in love with acting immediately, and ventured through the entertainment industry landing roles from small with independent films such as Smashed by James Ponsoldt to large productions such as Star Trek Into Darkness by JJ Abrams and HBO's The Brink with Jack Black.

For the next nearly-ten years she flew to LA during the day for auditions and flew home a few hours later, finishing work between the hours of 11PM and 1AM on a redeye, the cycle repeating for shoots when she booked roles. She played roles in small indie films such as Smashed directed by James Ponsoldt to HBO’s The Brink and NBC’s The New Normal, and more. Living in the mysterious world of filmmaking, she grew a deep adoration for cinema: watching it, understanding it, becoming a part of it. But acting was only the gateway to Anjini’s “thing” that led to a career. She ventured through the industry wide-eyed and inspired every time, like a kid in Candyland, and learned so much about filmmaking as a spectator.

Many sets and studios later, Anjini worked with JJ Abrams on Star Trek Into Darkness and, watching him direct, saw the final piece in her puzzle click: she realized her childhood passion for writing and love for cinema (and taking risks throughout her life) were hers for a reason. She was inspired to create, in fact, it was one of the most inspiring moments in her life. She knew she wanted to be a director / writer, combining her newfound love with her old flame. She had finally found her “thing.” She took the leap and directed + wrote + produced her first short film, Third Option. The infatuation with filmmaking was almost immediate -- love at first sight, and with Third Option she found herself being the youngest filmmaker selected at multiple film festivals.

Anjini has directed, written, and produced multiple narrative films that have gone on to festivals around the world, published in editorials such as WomenCinemaker Magazine Bienale, Ladygunn Magazine, directed and written corporate videos for both non-profits and some of the world’s biggest companies, and won awards from renowned festivals such as Hollyshorts Film Festival, Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, and IndieFest Film Awards for her written screenplays, and created music videos for talented artists. In 2020, Anjini started her own film company: A Ghost Story.

In 2021, Anjini was published in Forbes just before turning 21, wrapped co-writing her first company-commissioned feature film screenplay, and completed her first independently-written feature film. Film is a sacred thing to Anjini as she often calls cinema her “soulmate,” and her work is driven by this romance. She is determined tell powerful stories that reminds its audience of the beauty in both the tragedies and triumphs of this life that we live. She is looking forward to directing more narrative projects, powerful campaigns, music videos, and getting representation for directing and screenwriting to start selling her feature films.