Mira Nair

1957 – Present

Biography

Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films. She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature, Salaam Bombay! (1988), won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Nair used the proceeds to establish an organisation for street children, called the Salaam Baalak Trust in India. She often works with longtime creative collaborator, screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala, whom she met at Harvard. Nair has won a number of awards, including a National Film Award and various international film festival awards, and was a nominee at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards and Filmfare Awards. She was also awarded the India Abroad Person of the Year-2007, which was presented by Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and CEO, PepsiCo, Inc, and India Abroad Person of the Year-2006. Nair is married to political scientist Mahmood Mamdani. Their son, Zohran Mamdani, is Mayor of New York City. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mira Nair, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Selected Filmography

Selected Recognition

  1. Winner

    NAACP Image Award · Outstanding Independent Motion Picture (2017) · Winner

  2. First

    Told the true story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi as a major studio release with an entirely African setting and cast

  1. Winner

    International Film Festival of India · Centenary Award (2012) · Winner

  2. Social impact

    Adapted from Mohsin Hamid's novel, one of the first major films to center a Pakistani protagonist navigating post-9/11 suspicion in America

  1. Nominee

    Venice Film Festival · Golden Lion (2004) · Nominee

  1. Winner

    Golden Lion · Golden Lion (2001) · Winner

  2. Nominee

    Golden Globe · Best Foreign Language Film (2002) · Nominee

  3. Nominee

    Golden Globe · BAFTA Best Film Not in English Language (2002) · Nominee

  4. First

    Mira Nair became the third woman to win the Golden Lion — at the Venice Film Festival, after Margarethe von Trotta (1981) and Agnès Varda (1985); the first Indian woman to win it

  1. Winner

    San Sebastián International Film Festival · Golden Seashell (1996) · Winner

  2. Social impact

    Denied release in India over its sexual content — Mira Nair took the case to India's Supreme Court, which allowed release with cuts to nudity and sex scenes

  1. Winner

    Golden Lion · Best Screenplay (1991) · Winner

  2. Nominee

    Independent Spirit Award · Best Feature (1992) · Nominee

  1. Winner

    Cannes Film Festival · Camera dOr (1988) · Winner

  2. Winner

    BAFTA · Best Film Not in English Language (1989) · Winner

  3. Winner

    Cannes Film Festival · Prix du Publique (1988) · Winner

  4. Nominee

    Academy Award · Best International Feature Film (1989) · Nominee

  5. First

    Mira Nair became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Caméra d'Or at Cannes — only the second Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Interview

External Resources