Mira Nair

Mira Nair is the rare prolific filmmaker who fluidly moves between Hollywood and Independent Cinema. In 1998, Mira Nair made a stunning entry onto the world stage with her debut feature film Salaam Bombay! Nair is an avid maker of short films. A long time activist, Nair set up an annual film-makers’ laboratory, Maisha in Kampala, Uganda. Since 2005, young directors in East Africa have been trained at this non-profit facility with the belief that “If we don’t tell our stories, no one else will.” Maisha is currently building a school with Architect Raul Pantaleo, winner of Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and his company Studio Tamassociati. In 1998, she used the profits from Salaam Bombay! to create Salaam Balak Trust which works with street children in India. In 2012, Mira Nair was awarded the Padma Bhushan – India’s second highest civilian honor - by the President of India.

Pan African Film Festival