Pratibha Parmar

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Pratibha Parmar
Born
Nairobi, Kenya
Alma mater University of Bradford; University of Birmingham
Occupation(s)Writer and filmmaker
Notable work Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (2014); My Name is Andrea (2022)
Website pratibhaparmar.com

Pratibha Parmar is a British writer and filmmaker. She has made feminist documentaries such as Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth and My Name is Andrea about Andrea Dworkin.

Contents

Early life

Parmar was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian parents and when she was 12 her family moved to the United Kingdom. [1] [2] She received a B.A. degree from Bradford University and attended Birmingham University for postgraduate studies. Parmar's feminism was influenced by writers such as Angela Davis, June Jordan, Cherrie Moraga, Barbara Smith and Alice Walker. [3]

Career

With her 1991 film Khush , Parmar examined the erotic world of South Asian lesbians and gay men in the United Kingdom and India, using a mix of documentary footage and dramatic scenes. [4]

The documentary Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (2014) is about the life of author and activist Alice Walker, whom Parmar had first met in 1991 via June Jordan and Angela Davis. Walker and Parmar also collaborated on Warrior Marks, a documentary about female genital mutilation. [5] [6] They then released a book, also entitled Warrior Marks . [7]

In 2022, Parmar released her documentary My Name is Andrea about the second-wave feminist and writer Andrea Dworkin. [8]

Parmar has also made music videos for Morcheeba, Tori Amos and Midge Ure.[ citation needed ]

Awards and recognition

Parmar won the 1993 Frameline Award at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco and her films have won various prizes. [3] In 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women. [9]

Selected works

Film

Writing

See also

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<i>My Name is Andrea</i> 2022 film

My Name is Andrea is a 2022 documentary film by Pratibha Parmar about the second wave feminist and public figure, Andrea Dworkin. It tells the story of Dworkin's life through a hybrid mix of archive footage and dramatic performances by five different actresses: Amandla Stenberg, Soko, Andrea Riseborough, Ashley Judd and Christine Lahti. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was generally praised by critics.

References

  1. "Pratibha Parmar". Pratibha Parmar. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  2. "Pratibha Parmar". kalifilms.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  3. 1 2 "In Conversation With Pratibha Parmar". Lokvani. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  4. Kaplan, E. Ann (2012). Looking for the Other: Feminism, Film and the Imperial Gaze. Routledge. p. 283. ISBN   978-1-135-20875-2.
  5. Simmons, Aisha Shahidah (25 October 2011). "Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth – Ms. Magazine". msmagazine.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  6. Nichols, Peter M. (2008). "Movies: About Warrior Marks". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 15 March 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  7. McCoy, Frank (1994). "Hearing Women's Cries". Black Enterprise. Earl G. Graves, Ltd. p. 103.
  8. Linden, Sheri (11 June 2022). "'My Name Is Andrea': Film Review | Tribeca 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  9. "BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2019.

Further reading