Tanya Upshur is an award-winning filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist known for her performances with the African-American Collective Theater and Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. She has also appeared in commercials, films, and television shows, including 'The Blacklist' and 'ATL Homicide.' As a writer, Tanya combines anecdotal experience with history and current events to craft narrative and poetic works. Her stage play 'Shiftlet,' inspired by her visits to an incarcerated relative, was showcased at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Additionally, she serves as the writer, director, and producer of 'Blue Supper,' a short, silent narrative aimed at destigmatizing mental illness and sparking conversations about suicide. Tanya received the 2019 Black Women Cinema Week 'Storyteller Award' for her short documentary film 'Birth! Place?' which was featured in The Living Altar exhibition presented by Soil and Shadow, Kalliopeia Foundation, and MoCADA. She holds a Master’s of Arts in Communication: Producing Film, Television, and Video from American University and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication from Trinity Washington University, School of Professional Studies, with a focus on journalism and film criticism. Tanya is an alumna of Docs In Progress and a member of SAG-AFTRA.