Short Films by Mira Nair
14 Episodes
Hailed for her vibrant explorations of culture clash and connection in films like MONSOON WEDDING and MISSISSIPPI MASALA, Indian American auteur Mira Nair has pursued an equally distinguished career as a director of short films that further explore the ways in which deep-rooted cultural traditions and prejudices shape everyday life. Bringing together early documentary works—including the revealing study of Indian moral hypocrisy INDIA CABARET, about the experiences of women working in a Mumbai strip club—alongside narrative shorts like the searing portrait of post-9/11 anti-Muslim racism 11’09”01—SEPTEMBER 11, this collection reflects Nair’s deep and abiding concern for society’s most marginalized members.
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06:48Episode 1Mira Nair on SO FAR FROM INDIA
Episode 1
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49:46Episode 2So Far from India
Episode 2
Directed by Mira Nair • 1983 • United States
Ashok Sheth is one of many Indian immigrants working in subway newsstands in New York City. This documentary follows his first journey back home to Ahmedabad, where he is forced to confront the conflicts between his ancestral culture and his new life ...
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08:07Episode 3Mira Nair on INDIA CABARET
Episode 3
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1:00:07Episode 4India Cabaret
Episode 4
Directed by Mira Nair • 1985 • India
This documentary examines the line separating “good” and “bad” women in Indian society, specifically by focusing on the dancers at a Bombay strip club, a frequent patron, and his stay-at-home wife.
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Mira Nair on THE DAY THE MERCEDES BECAME A HAT
Episode 5
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11:47Episode 6The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat
Episode 6
Directed by Mira Nair • 1993 • South Africa
Chris Hani, South Africa’s Communist Party Leader, was assassinated in April of 1993, causing a wave of fear to sweep through the country's white community. This is the tale of one family as they leave South Africa on the day of Hani’s funeral.
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04:27Episode 7Mira Nair on THE LAUGHING CLUB OF INDIA
Episode 7
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35:28Episode 8The Laughing Club of India
Episode 8
Directed by Mira Nair • 2001 • India
This documentary by Mira Nair explores the power of laughter through the strangely popular phenomenon of laughing clubs in contemporary Bombay.
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03:24Episode 9Mira Nair on 11'09"01—SEPTEMBER 11
Episode 9
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12:16Episode 1011'09"01—September 11
Episode 10
Directed by Mira Nair • 2002 • United States
Based on events surrounding the September 11, 2001, disappearance of Salman Hamdani, a young Pakistani American man from Queens, this film portrays his mother’s struggle with terrorist allegations, her own fears, and her son’s fate that day.
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05:11Episode 11Mira Nair on HOW CAN IT BE?
Episode 11
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09:33Episode 12How Can It Be?
Episode 12
Directed by Mira Nair • 2008 • France
Starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey, Birsa ChatterjeeOne of eight shorts commissioned by the United Nations on themes concerning global society, this film explores gender equality. It’s the story of Zainab and Arif, who live with their son, Munna, in...
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03:56Episode 13Mira Nair on MIGRATION
Episode 13
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Migration
Episode 14
Directed by Mira Nair • 2007 • United States
Part of a four-film series on the AIDS epidemic in India, this film examines the virus as Indian society's great class leveler, following its transmission through interweaving stories that link urban and rural India.
