Niav attended Skidmore College on a full scholarship for music performance, lived in China as a student of classical painting and calligraphy, and worked as an actor in New York. She moved to France to begin making films, where she studied with Boris Lehman and Pedro Costa, and worked closely for many years with Oscar-winning maverick director Joseph Strick (1923-2010). In 2010 she returned to New York to study with avant-garde filmmaker Chantal Akerman (1950-2015) and complete her M.F.A. at City College. She is a recipient of the Kodak Award for cinematography, and the 2013 Princess Grace Award.
She has DP’d over a dozen short films, both short and feature documentaries, 4 narrative features, as well as music videos and commercials. She brings her technical knowledge and artistic ideas to every project she is involved in and loves working with Director’s to enhance their visions.