|
Deepa Mehta (born 1950) is an Indian born Canadian film director and screenwriter.
She graduated from the University of New Delhi with a degree in philosophy before emigrating to Canada in 1973. She embarked on her film career as a screenwriter for children's films. In 1991 she made her feature-film directorial debut with Sam & Me, a story of the relationship between a young Muslim boy and an elderly Jewish gentleman in the Toronto neighbourhood of Parkdale. It won First Honorable Mention in the Camera d'Or category of the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Mehta followed up with Camilla starring Bridget Fonda and Jessica Tandy in 1994.
She is best known for her elements trilogy filmed in India. Fire (1996) was set in contemporary India and dealt with politics and sexuality and was controversial in India due to its lesbian content. Earth (1998) tells the story of the partition of India in 1947 from the vantage point of a young girl. The final film in the trilogy, Water, was not completed until 2004 due to death threats and disruptions by Hindu funadamentalists.
Filmography
- Sam & Me (1991)
- Camilla (1994)
- Fire (1996)
- Earth (1998)
- Bollywood/Hollywood (2002)
- Republic of Love (2003)
- Water (2004)
External links
|
