ABOUT natasha

Natasha Ofili's continuous ambition to make films is happening. One of her goals for 2025 is to produce one of the completed scripts she wrote last year. She is bringing her horror short film to life, thanks to Katia Washington (IMDb), who said YES to produce this film with Natasha. Natasha wrote “What I Was Trying To Say” (IMDb) and will also act and direct the horror short. Other notable people signed on to the project include Blake Lee (actor), Cooper Ulrich (cinematographer), Shelby Hall (editor), and Damien Quintard (composer, Co-Founder of Miraval Studios, who won a Grammy this year). The short will be filmed this July.

Her story of being an artist, writer, and storyteller started at a young age, but Natasha did not realize this passion would bloom later in her life. Her mom immigrated from Sierra Leone on the West Coast of Africa to the United States. Natasha is a first-generation American, and at 18 months old, she became deaf from a high fever. That did not scare her mother, who became Natasha’s biggest supporter, and it shaped who she is today as a proud Black, Deaf woman.

As a rising actress, Natasha was recognized for her breakout role as Principal Karen Vaughn in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series, The Politician. Oprah Daily singled her out as "a host of newcomers that manage to steal the screen" from the show's seasoned actors. Natasha achieved historical milestones by winning the 2024 Game Accessibility Conference award for Best Representation for portraying Hailey Cooper, the first Black Deaf playable character in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 video game. She also played Hailey in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game.

Additionally, Natasha made a special appearance on Saturday Night Live with Coldplay, performing a live American Sign Language performance of “The Astronaut.” In collaboration with Coldplay, Pulse Films, and Director Ben Mor, Natasha developed the story and creative direction for the music video for Coldplay’s first single, feelslikeimfallinginlove, of their new album, Moon Music, as the Creative Director and lead performer. The video was nominated for two MTV VMA awards: Best Rock and Video for Good and has over 39 million views on YouTube.

A WGA member, Natasha was the first Black, Deaf staff writer on the Starz/Warner Brothers' Untitled Show, produced by ARRAY. Founder of NIOVISION Productions, she wrote, acted, produced, and directed her award-winning short film, The Multi. which was accepted by 15 film festivals, including Oscars, BAFTA, and Canadian Screen Qualifiers. She took a chance to financially invest in her film because she genuinely believed the world needed to see this story. Authentic representation is an important mission for Natasha. Her vision is for the audience to connect with the characters not often seen on the screen, dark-skinned deaf actors. Her creative direction and production ensured that her vision came true.

The short film was selected for the AGBO x Slamdance Summer Showcase that took place in August 2023. AGBO is the Academy Award-Winning studio founded by Anthony and Joe Russo, along with Mike Larocca. Natasha is honored and touched that The Multi continues to receive recognition.

A natural-born advocate, Natasha advocates for accessibility, authentic representation, and opportunities for the Deaf and disabled community, especially Black and BIPOC Deaf youth.

Natasha’s Loves

Other than her world of acting, writing, and filmmaking, Natasha loves:

Nature - She enjoys hiking different trails throughout Southern California, Rancho Palos Verdes, Chino Hills, Malibu, and new trails.
Watching old movies for the 100th time.
Dancing and listening to MUSIC! She can dance for hours. It is liberating when she loses herself in the world of music.
Playing board and card games - Sorry, Idiot, The Mind, and Skyjo