Hello!
I'm Neeraja Raj — a South Asian director, writer and animator based in London & Dubai. I make films about people whose stories don't get told enough, using whatever tools best serve the idea: stop-motion, 2D animation, live action, AI. My work has reached 432 million people, screened at Tribeca, BIFF and SXSW, and won a BAFTA nomination, a Forbes 30 Under 30 and a Variety's Top 10 Animators spot. Right now I'm most excited about what happens when hand-drawn animation and genAI work together — and what that means for the future of independent storytelling!
Short Film| BFI Doc Society | 2026
An AI-assisted animated documentary following a South Asian woman abandoned in the UK after relocating for marriage. I'm directing and building an experimental pipeline that combines hand-drawn 2D keyframes with generative AI for colouring and compositing. The aim: let AI handle repetition so humans can focus on emotion, performance and story.
Supported by BFI Doc Society
Produced by Story Compound
Starring Varada Sethu (Doctor Who, Andor)
Short Film| Climate Spring | 2026
A solarpunk eco-fable set in the future – about a young inventor, Lila, and her ailing granddad, Sudhakaran, as they race to build a revolutionary flying e-tuk-tuk to help combat the climate crisis.
Produced by Climate Spring x TK-FX x Lowkey Films x BBC Writers x BFI Network
Starring Sanjeev Bhaskar (Yesterday, The Kumars) & Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton)
Episodic| Aardman Animations | 2025
Joined the writers’ room for the world‑renowned Shaun the Sheep: Season 7 & wrote the opening episode, 'Bake It Easy'. When the sheep eat Bitzer’s birthday cake for the Farmer, Shaun and the flock must improvise a new one from whatever they can find–before all hell breaks loose and Bitzer finds out.
Produced by Aardman Animation Studios
Short Film| CHANEL x BAFA | 2024
A fairytale-esque fantasy-romcom about explosive female desire—set on the Korean coast.
Produced by CHANEL x Busan Film Festival
Short Film| NOUNS DAO NFT | 2024
A surreal comedy set in London, where a romantic make-out sesh is rudely interrupted by an unexpected musical guest... from within.
Produced by NOUNS, LA
Animated Doc | Client: Room to Read | 2023
She Creates Change is the pioneering nonprofit film series for gender equality. I wrote and directed 'Diksha,' a 2.5D animation episode portraying the inspiring journey of a Nepali woman overcoming discrimination to challenge unjust traditions.
Animation Film | Client: WaterAid | 2021
In light of the 2021 Mars Missions, Fara, a young Madagascan girl dreams of building a spaceship to go to Mars and find water for her family. I directed the 2D animation short film, created for and commissioned by WaterAid, an international NGO charity.
Animation Film | NFTS | 2020
I directed and wrote a whimsical stop-motion musical about a 'catstronaut' on a cosmic quest for the meaning of life. Along the way, she befriends a space pup, leading to a hilarious chain of events involving 'catnip-bis' and an encounter with a tribe of marshmallows!
Feature Film | Aardman | 2021
I worked with directors Peter Lord & Gurinder Chadha on developing an untitled Bollywood-inspired feature at Aardman Animation Studios It's a comedy musical following Bodhi, a young Indian elephant from Kerala with dreams of becoming a famous Bollywood dancer.
Series Development | Disney | 2017
For Disney India, I crafted and directed 'Khatarnaak,' an original show featuring Kartik, Aaloo, and Machis – a farm boy, a Potato, and a Matchbox. Set in a surreal world within a giant Easter Island head's nostril, the trio embarks on daily adventures, saving their peculiar world.
Animation Film | NFTS | 2021
A girl arrives home to an unsettling stranger in my stop-motion horror film exploring mental health. I served as both director and co-writer.
Animation Film | NID | 2016
I wrote and directed "Stars," a heartwarming 2D animated story about kindness. Inspired by my little brother, it follows a boy spreading joy by placing star-shaped stickers on unsuspecting passerbys.