Life is a mystery.
Let’s explore it.
At Mystery Squid Films, we’re driven by a commitment to impactful storytelling. We specialize in uncovering the extraordinary in everyday life and sharing the personal journeys of individuals who defy expectations. Our goal is to inform, engage, and inspire through powerful, meaningful narratives.
Founded by Nisha Balaram, Mystery Squid Films’ recent projects include Meals That Made Us, a CAAM-funded three-part documentary series exploring how Asian Americans use food to shape identity, preserve traditions, nurture community, and imagine new futures. The series premiered at CAAMFest 2026 in San Francisco. A recently produced short Flight Line was recently awarded Best Space Documentary at the Space Faring Civilisation Film Festival in Canberra, Australia, recognizing its story of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter—the first powered flight on another planet—and its connection to the legacy of the Wright brothers and human exploration.
The company’s work and collaborations have included PBS, the Center for Asian American Media, National Geographic Society, and APIAVote, with projects featured on PBS VOCES and PBS Vitals, High Country News, Disney+, and Mongabay. Drawing on experience across documentary filmmaking and public policy, Mystery Squid Films brings a thoughtful, deeply human approach to stories of discovery, culture, and exploration, connecting larger ideas to the people and personal stories behind them.