Ani Simon-Kennedy

Ani Simon-Kennedy is a filmmaker from Paris whose work builds new worlds and shifts perspectives. Her latest feature film The Short History of the Long Road, a road trip drama starring Sabrina Carpenter and Danny Trejo, premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention for Best Screenplay and was released by Filmrise in 2020. During development, the film was supported by the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Institute, Film Independent, the Gotham and Cine Qua Non Script Lab. It is currently available on all platforms. 

Previously, her first feature film Days of Gray, an Icelandic dystopian fantasy, was deemed “an assured debut” by the Hollywood Reporter. It played at top festivals around the world with an original live score by Hjaltalin. The soundtrack was nominated for Best Score at the Icelandic Film Awards and won Best Album at the Icelandic Music Awards. 

Ani's branded content credits include directing Michael Phelps for Colgate's series on water conservation, Viola Davis on her journey with Type 2 diabetes and Tracy Ellis Ross for Glamour reimagining iconic male film roles. Under the banner of Bicephaly Pictures, she collaborates with cinematographer Cailin Yatsko on socially-conscious stories. 

She was one of the Gotham's 2025 Series Creators to Watch and participated in Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative television director mentorship program. A graduate of New York University, she now lives in Brooklyn where she is currently in development on several projects for film and television.