Rita Baghdadi is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker known for the intimacy of her bold, character-driven films.
SIRENS premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest. The film was praised as “utterly charming” by the Hollywood Reporter, “deeply moving,” and “narrative perfection.” Executive Produced by Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph, the film was released in theaters across the U.S and is now available to stream. Recently, her film FINDING THE LIGHT, about former conflict photographer Muhammed Muheison, premiered on Disney+. Her work has garnered her two Cinema Eye Honors nominations, an Independent Spirit Awards nomination and a Peabody Awards nomination.
Rita is co-founder of the Los Angeles - London based production company Lady and Bird Films known for their ethical approach to documentary filmmaking. She is a 2025 Chicken and Egg Awardee, a 2024 Concordia Fellow, a Sundance Momentum Fellow, a Film Independent Fellow, and named one of DOC NYC’s ‘40 under 40.' She is a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and an active mentor in the documentary industry.
Currently, Rita is in production on several new films including STALLIONS shooting in Morocco. When she’s not behind the camera, she’s always looking for a horse to ride.