Irina Vodar is an award-winning filmmaker, graphic designer, and storyteller with over 20 years of experience in film and broadcast design, including work with ABC News. She has received numerous accolades, including a Daytime Emmy nomination, the George Foster Peabody Award, and Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Born in Russia, Vodar studied at the prestigious Russian National Film School (VGIK) and later at Columbia College Chicago. She is known for her documentary work, particularly her two major films, “Miss Gulag” and “Anything You Lose”. 

Her debut documentary, “Miss Gulag” (2007), explores a unique beauty pageant held inside a Siberian women's prison. The film, produced in collaboration with Neihausen-Yatskova Films, was supported by the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund and the Ford Foundation. It premiered at the 57th Berlin Film Festival and screened at over 36 international film festivals, earning critical acclaim and academic recognition, including distribution to institutions such as Cambridge University’s Department of Slavonic Studies.

Her second film, “Anything You Lose”, is a deeply personal documentary about infertility and assisted reproductive technologies. Filmed over seven years, it examines the psychological and emotional challenges of in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The film was funded by the New York State Council on the Arts and test-screened at London's Barbican Theatre during the International Fertility Festival in 2019. Earning 72 Awards and 30 Nominations at 101 Festivals, it is resonating with audiences across the globe.

Vodar is a member of Women Make Movies and the New York Women in Film collective. She currently resides in New York City and continues to create thought-provoking films that challenge societal norms and explore the intersection of personal experience and larger cultural issues.