Vanessa Roth is an American filmmaker who writes, produces and directs non-fiction films and heads up social issue reform efforts through storytelling. She has won a number of film awards for her works, including a 2008 Academy Award for Best Short Documentary for Freeheld, an Alfred I duPont-Columbia award for Taken In: The Lives of America's Foster Children, two Sundance Special Jury Prizes, Cine Golden Eagles, Casey Medals and a MacArthur Grant. Some of her award-winning films include Freeheld, Close to Home, Aging Out, Schools of the 21st Century, The Third Monday in October, 9/11’s Toxic Dust, No Tomorrow, The Other Side, American Teacher, and The Texas Promise. She is also the executive producer, writer and director of Daughters of Destiny: The Journey of Shanti Bhavan - a 4 part Netflix Original documentary series released July 28, 2017.