Swati Thiyagarajan

Swati Thiyagarajan, honestly, is one of those people you kinda want to grab a coffee with just to hear her stories. She’s the mastermind behind some seriously captivating documentaries—My Octopus Teacher, The Animal Communicator, and the upcoming Pangolin: Kulu's Journey. Not your typical run-of-the-mill nature docs either. With My Octopus Teacher, she took viewers on a wild underwater ride that left everyone rethinking their relationship with the ocean (and, let’s be real, probably made a few folks cry over a cephalopod). Her work has this way of mixing raw emotion with jaw-dropping visuals, and it never feels preachy. The Animal Communicator? That one dives into the strange, beautiful territory of cross-species communication—think less Disney, more “wait, can she really talk to animals?” And now, she’s got Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey lined up, shining a spotlight on a creature most people have never even heard of, but should absolutely care about. Swati’s style isn’t just about cool shots or dramatic narration—it’s got a vibe, a kind of curiosity and empathy that makes you want to protect every weird, wonderful thing crawling or swimming around the planet. Oh, and if you’re wondering about the personal stuff, she’s married to Craig Foster, who’s also a big deal in the nature doc world. Power couple alert, right? Basically, Swati’s work feels like a love letter to the natural world, and even if you’re not a hardcore nature nerd, her films have a knack for pulling you in and making you care.