Kataneh Vahdani is a director, animation creator, story artist, and professor for over seventeen years. She was born in Iran and came to the United States in pursuit of her dream: to have a voice and be free. After receiving a degree in mathematics, she enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), spending seven years studying animation and earning her master's degree in film directing. She later continued her education in Paris, France. Kataneh's animated films have been screened at many festivals, including Sundance, Annecy, and the New York International Film Festival, where she was named Best Director of Animated Shorts and won the Best Feature Award.

 

Kataneh worked for over a decade in the story department at Walt Disney Animation Studios (Feature and TV), and she created an original short for Sesame Street. In addition to storytelling, Kataneh has taught story, design, and animation at CalArts, College of the Canyons, Inner City Arts, in Kenya, a Syrian refugee camp, and many schools around the world. 

 

Kataneh's best-selling picture book KAT AND JUJU was published in 2020. Her characters Kat and Juju won as favorite characters in the Kid's Book Choice Award in 2021. For over 5 years she directed and developed an original movie at Netflix Feature Animation and is currently working on her second children's book. At Netflix Animation Kataneh became a community leader, managing both the SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) and Expats community, as well as founding an internal event called “The Connection Series" to build a stronger community of artists at the studio. Kataneh's north star is to continue sharing authentic stories, represent the underrepresented, and lead with empathy and consciousness.