Mira
Nair an acclaimed Producer/Director/Writer born in
Orissa to a civil servant in 1957. She did her education
at the Delhi University where she studied Sociology and
Theater. She was not satisfied with the quality of
education as a result of which she left to study at
Harvard in 1976 to continue studying Sociology. She
received scholarship for her study at Harvard.
It
was then at Harvard that dragged Mira Nair to bend
towards documentary film. She describes documentary as
"a marriage of my interests in the visual arts,
theatre, and life as it is lived". Mira worked on
various assignments during her tenure which projected
her in a variety of roles. After the September 11
attacks on US, Mira joined a group of 11 renowed
filmmakers each assigned with a work to direct a film
that is 11 minutes 9 seconds and one frame long.
Nair’s
film is a retelling of real events in the life of the
Hamdani family in Queens, whose eldest son was missing
after September 11, and was then accused by the media of
being a terrorist. 11.09.01 is the true story of a
mother's search for her son who did not return home on
that fateful day.
The
following are some of the woks of Mira Nairs
| Filmography
Documentaries |
| 1 |
Jama
Masjid Street Journal (1979) |
| 2 |
So
Far From India (1982) |
| 3 |
India
Cabaret (1985) |
| 4 |
Children
of a Desired Sex (1987) |
|
| Other
Films |
| 1 |
Salaam
Bombay (1988) |
| 2 |
Mississippi
Masala (1991) |
| 3 |
The
Perez Family (1993) |
| 4 |
Kama
Sutra: A Tale of Love (1997) |
|
| Works
Cited |
| 1 |
Current
Biography Yearbook. 1993. 54th Vol. Ed.
Judith Graham. New York: The H. W. Wilson
Company, 1993. |
| 2 |
Contemporary
Theatre, Film and Television. Volume 12.
Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. |
|
Awards
winning films/documentaries |
| 1 |
Salaam
Bombay! was nominated for an Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language Film in
1988; it won the Camera D'Or (for best first
feature) and the Prix du Publique (for most
popular entry) at the Cannes Film Festival
and 25 other international awards. |
| 2 |
Mississippi
Masala, won three awards at the Venice
Film Festival including Best Screenplay and
The Audience Choice Award. |
| 3 |
My
Own Country, in 1998 it was awarded the
NAACP award for best fiction feature. |
| 4 |
The
Laughing Club of India, was awarded The
Special Jury Prize in the Festival
International de Programmes Audiovisuels
2000. |
| 5 |
Monsoon
Wedding, won the Golden Lion at the 2001
Venice Film Festival, Monsoon Wedding also won a Golden Globe nomination for Best
Foreign Language Film |
|
|
