Giovanna Chesler directs documentary and narrative films addressing themes of the body, sexuality, and gender. She works for hire producing, shooting and editing media projects for progressive organizations around the world. Giovanna received an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University and a BA in Anthropology and Women's Studies from the University of Virginia. She is an Assistant Professor at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City where she teaches digital filmmaking and community engaged video activism.

Giovanna's films include Bye Bi Love (HD, 17min, 2010) a short fiction film about a woman who receives an invitation to her ex-girlfriend's wedding, Period: The End of Menstruation? (16mm, 54 min) a feature documentary on cultural and medical trends in menstruation which is distributed by Cinema Guild, New York, BeauteouS: The Trilogy, an examination of three sisters and their relationships to beauty (16mm, 43 min) and hand-some, a reflexive documentary on a failing lesbian relationship (16mm, 13 min) distributed by Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre. Currently, Giovanna is developing a feature length film on sexual health issues, tentatively titled Stick. She received a Dean's Fellowship and Sokol Grant in 2011 for research and screenwriting for this project.

Awards for Giovanna's films include Honorable Mention in Fiction Filmmaking from the University Film and Video Association for Bye Bi Love in 2010 and the Gold Plaque Award for Best Student Documentary from the Chicago International Film Festival in 2000 for BeauteouS: Stephanie. Period received worldwide attention as a touchstone on the menstrual suppression debate, beginning with a front-page article in The New York Times. Giovanna's films have played at over 110 international festivals in fifteen countries. Her new media work includes Tune in HPV, a web television channel for awareness, expression and entertainment around the human papillomavirus.

Giovanna produces videos for progressive organizations and shoots for feminist video artists and filmmakers, working with a team of talented video makers affiliated with her production company, G6 Pictures. Recent projects include this 30 minute documentary for the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University, this short activist piece on Iraqi women also for CWGL, and an edited piece (shot by WITNESS) on militarism and women's human rights. Cinematography work includes the internationally screened film Six Years by Monique Moumblow and camera work on short videos by Kim Schoen. In 2003 Giovanna worked as the primary cinematographer on Ending the Cycle of Violence, a six part series on violence prevention in youth for Discovery Education Networks. Early in her career, she worked as the Associate Producer and Production Manager on Wild at Start: High Technology Adventures and the American Dream (2000, Capela) following 15 startup companies during the high tech bubble of the late 90's.

Giovanna serves as a research and media fellow at the Center for Social Media at American University. Recent essays include an article on the Tune in HPV project co-authored with Bree Kessler published in Three Shots at Prevention: The HPV Vaccine and the Politics of Medicine's Simple Solutions (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010) a piece in Jump Cut on sound pedagogy in the video classroom and a chapter on Frederick Wiseman's sound editing in an edited collection on Wiseman's work in DFI Vorwerk. She has served on the selection committee for the AFI Silverdocs Film Festival and has curated programs of experimental feminist films for the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research and Ladyfest San Diego. She writes film criticism with feminist, sonic and documentarian leanings at her blog g6pix.blogspot.

Interviews with Giovanna, Podcast talk on Giardet's Release, Screenings/Speaking Engagements

G6 Pictures, Giovanna's production company, comes from her name - Giovanna Marie is the 6th in a matrilineal line of Giovannas.