Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 25 (PTI): A young Malayalam filmmaker was found dead at her home in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, police said on Monday. Nayana Sooryan, who had assisted several prominent directors in the industry, was found dead at her apartment yesterday.

Sooryan's exact cause of death will be found only after her autopsy report is ready, police said. She was 28.

Police said that she was undergoing treatment for diabetes for some time.

Sooryan's mother alerted her friends after her phone went unanswered several times. Sooryan's friends found her body in her bedroom.

A proponent of parallel cinema, Sooryan marked her space in the industry as an independent director through Crossword, a 2017 anthology in which she did the sequel Pakshikalude Mananam with actors Vijay Babu and Mythili.

Before that, she had worked as an associate director under several leading filmmakers including late Lenin Rajendran, Kamal, Jeethu Joseph and Dr Biju.

She also directed several advertisements and stage shows in and outside the country.

Sources close to her said, the sudden death of Lenin Rajendran, who died on January 14 this year following an illness, also affected Sooryan.

She had made her debut in the industry assisting Lenin Rajendran.

Sooryan, who was from Kerala's Alappad, is survived by her parents and two siblings.