A native Bostonian and graduate of the Journalism program at Emerson College, Andrea Janakas earned her MFA in Directing at American Film Institute. Her short films cross genres and examine the human condition and political preoccupations of various eras. Her meditations on small town life and the need for social change are evident. A recipient of an AFI scholarship, she was awarded the 2005 Fuji Student Filmmaker Award for her script Gypsies, Tramps, & Thieves. The film premiered at Seattle International Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival in 2006, and stars Annie Quinn (Criminal Minds, House) and Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Nine Lives). Gypsies received the Jury Prize at the Palm Springs International Shorts Festival, and indieWIRE named the film one of the Top Ten Outstanding Shorts at Outfest. Andrea’s directing credits include David’s Walls, Average Joe, Karma Sutra, SKAL, and a 30-second spot in support of same-sex marriage rights for GLAAD. She also directed the well-received multi-media play Save for Theater of Note in Hollywood. In the spring of 2009, Janakas was commissioned to write a script for the American Visions Film Initiative with ITVS.

In 2010, Andrea’s script Faded Giant, co-written by Justine Cogan, was chosen to be a part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s All Access Program.