Arian Tomar is an internationally awarded, documentary filmmaker and environmentalist born and based in the Twin Cities. His films visualize how places make people and how people make places, highlighting their reciprocal dynamic. By visualizing these often overlooked dynamics, Tomar hopes to educate audiences on the diverse ways people connect to the natural world and their motivations to protect that connection. Tomar also partners with organizations to visualize their missions for social impact, bringing to life personal brand films on topics like urban agriculture, outdoor equity, conservation, and climate action. Across films that humanize sustainable perspectives and media that encourages support for organizations with a sustainable vision of the future, Tomar fosters empathy to motivate collective action.

Inspired by an early childhood connection to nature, where stories emerge organically through observation, Tomar began making films during high school at Pearson College UWC, on Vancouver Island. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production from the University of Southern California. While in college, he served as the Eco Media Festival’s Director for two seasons, growing the festival’s reach nationally and internationally to uplift student films on the environment. Upon graduating in 2026, Tomar returned to Minnesota and dedicated his new skills and perspective on sustainability in service of empowering local action in his home community.

Tomar’s recent series of short documentary profiles contributed to Be the People, a national storytelling campaign to uplift stories of American social impact. By gathering around community issues, the campaign seeks to challenge the notion that the United States is hopelessly divided. Arian is currently developing documentary projects with close collaborators and this summer, he will direct a short documentary for the Science Museum of Minnesota after an upcoming artist residency.