Jeff Roy is a filmmaker, music composer, and Fulbright-mtvU Fellow based in Los Angeles and Mumbai. Roy holds an MA in ethnomusicology from UCLA and is a PhD candidate in the same field.

Roy is the director of two feature-length documentaries and the producer of a narrative film. His directorial debut film, Rites of Passage, follows a 42 year-old devout Muslim from India named Maya (formerly Mohammed) through the physical and spiritual challenges of sexual reassignment surgery. Since its premiere, the film screened in competition at over 50 film festivals, winning numerous awards. The feature-length version, Mohammed to Maya, is currently screening in film festivals around the world.

Roy recently received a Fulbright-mtvU Fellowship to direct the documentary Music in Liminal Spaces. The film explores the lives of Mumbai’s underground musicians and dancers who are making an impact on the future of LGBT rights in India. During its ten month-long production in 2012-13, the project engaged its audience with monthly video installments on the Fulbright-mtvU website: http://www.Fulbright.mtvU.com/jroy. The film is currently in feature-length development.

Roy is also the lead producer for a narrative film, Relapse, which is part of the Project Involve shorts development program.

In his other life as a professional violinist and vocalist, Roy has performed internationally with renowned musicians including Dave Brubeck, LeAnn Rimes, Ali Jihad Racy, Ustad Imrat Khan and Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil. Roy also composes global fusion music for film and live performances.