Sabrina Dhawan | |
---|---|
Born | Sabrina Dhawan London, England |
Subject | Indian family life, women screenwriters, Indian film |
Years active | 2000–present |
Spouse | Steve Cohen (m. 2006–2012) |
Sabrina Dhawan is an Indian screenwriter and producer, born in England and raised in Delhi, India.
Dhawan is an associate professor and the area head of screenwriting at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has been commissioned to write for many large companies including Disney, HBO, ABC Family and 20th Century Fox. [1] She has taught at filmmaking labs all over the world.
Dhawan is most well known for her writing credits on various feature-length films, as well as some producing and directing work on her own independent short films. She works a great deal within Indian and Bollywood cinema. Monsoon Wedding , a 2001 film directed by Mira Nair, is one of her earliest and most well known works, launching her screenwriting career.
Dhawan has a brief acting cameo in Monsoon Wedding as a wedding guest.
Dhawan was born in England and raised in Delhi. Dhawan attended both the Convent of Jesus and Mary as well as Delhi Public School for her elementary education. She then went on to Hindu College to obtain her Bachelor of Arts and to Leicester University, U.K. for a Masters of Arts in Communications Research. [2] Dhawan then moved to New York City, where she graduated from Columbia University's Graduate Film Program in 2001 with a Masters of Fine Arts in Film. [3]
Her student short film, (Saanjh) As Night Falls, which she made during the last years of her MFA, has been successful since its release in 2000.
Graduating from Columbia in 2001, the same year as the release of Monsoon Wedding , Dhawan's career was almost immediate. In fact, Dhawan wrote the first draft of the screenplay while she was still in school - it only took her about a week. [4] Fusing Hindi, Punjabi, and English, Dhawan wrote the multi-lingual script for Monsoon Wedding . [5] The film was premiered in the Marché du Film section of the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for various awards, including a Golden Globe.
After their pairing on Monsoon Wedding , Dhawan and Nair formed a brief partnership in which Dhawan worked as Nair's assistant at Columbia sometime in the early 2000s. [6] She also wrote the segment "India" (directed by Nair) in 11'09"01 September 11 , a series of short films for Canal Plus in 2002. [7]
Dhawan's short film (Saanjh) As Night Falls was awarded the Best of the Festival at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. It also received the Audience Award at Angelus Awards; and was voted "Most Original Film," by New Line Cinema at the Polo Ralph Lauren New Works Festival in 2000. [3]
In 2009, Dhawan acted as co-producer for the first three episodes of a TV Series titled Bollywood Hero .[ citation needed ]
In 2016, Dhawan co-wrote the film Rangoon, with Vishal Bharadwaj and Matthew Robbins.[ citation needed ]
Dhawan worked with Mira Nair to create a stage adaptation of Monsoon Wedding which ran at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in California in 2017. [8]
In 2006, Dhawan married Steve Cohen, who wrote the screenplay for The Bachelor (1999) starring Chris O'Donnell and Renée Zellweger. Cohen died on 29 September 2012. [9]
As of 2016 [update] Dhawan was living in New York City with their son, Kabir. [1]
Year | Film | Role | Genre |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | (Saanjh) As Night Falls | Writer/Director | Fiction Short |
2001 | Monsoon Wedding | Writer | Fiction (Film) |
2002 | 11'09"01 September 11 ("India") | Writer | Fiction Short |
2003 | Cosmopolitan | Writer | Fiction (TV) |
2004 | Independent Lens | Writer (2 episodes) | TV documentary |
2009 | Kaminey | Writer | Fiction (Film) |
2010 | Ishqiya | Writer | Fiction (Film) |
2011 | Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told | Writer | Documentary |
2013 | Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola | Script Consultant | Fiction |
2016 | Rangoon | Writer | Fiction (Film) |
Year | Festival/Institution | Award | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Palm Spring International Festival of Short Films | Best of the Festival | (Saanjh) As Night Falls | Won |
2001 | Venice Film Festival | Golden Lion | Monsoon Wedding | Won |
2002 | Venice Film Festival | Best Short Film | 11'09"01 September 11 | Won |
2002 | Venice Film Festival | UNESCO Award | 11'09"01 September 11 | Won |
2002 | Zee Cine Awards | Special Award for International Cinema | Monsoon Wedding | Won |
2002 | Golden Globe | Best Foreign Language Film | Monsoon Wedding | Nominated |
2002 | BAFTA Awards | Best Film Not in the English Language | Monsoon Wedding | Nominated |
2002 | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Monsoon Wedding | Nominated |
2002 | British Independent Film Awards | Best Foreign Independent Film - Foreign Language | Monsoon Wedding | Won |
2003 | Golden Satellite Awards | Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language | Monsoon Wedding | Nominated |
2003 | César Awards (France) | Best European Union Film | 11'09"01 September 11 | Nominated |
2003 | National Board of Review (US) | Freedom of Expression Award | 11'09"01 September 11 | Won |
2004 | Director's View Film Festival | Feature Documentary | Independent Lens [10] | Won |
2004 | San Diego Film Festival | Best Short Film | Independent Lens | Won |
2004 | Toronto ReelWorld Film Festival | Best International Short Film | Independent Lens | Won |
2010 | Filmfare Awards | Best Film | Kaminey | Nominated |
2010 | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Picture | Kaminey | Nominated |
2011 | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Screenplay | Ishqiya | Nominated |
2011 | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Dialogue | Ishqiya | Won |
Mira Nair is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. Among her best known films are Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, the Golden Lion–winning Monsoon Wedding, and Salaam Bombay!, which received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love is a 1996 Indian historical erotic romance film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Mira Nair. The first portion of the film is based on "Utran", a short story in Urdu by the Indian writer Wajida Tabassum. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra. It stars Naveen Andrews, Sarita Choudhury, Ramon Tikaram, Rekha and Indira Varma. The English-language film was produced by Indian, British, German and Japanese studios.
Monsoon Wedding is a 2001 comedy-drama film directed by Mira Nair, written by Sabrina Dhawan, and starring Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shah and Vasundhara Das. The story depicts romantic entanglements during a traditional Punjabi Hindu wedding in Delhi. Dhawan wrote the first draft of the screenplay in a week while in Columbia University's MFA film program. Although set entirely in New Delhi, it was internationally co-produced between companies in India, the United States, Italy, France and Germany.
Sooni Taraporevala is an Indian screenwriter, photographer, and filmmaker who is the screenwriter of Mississippi Masala, The Namesake and Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay!, all directed by Mira Nair. She also adapted Rohinton Mistry's novel Such A Long Journey and wrote the films Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, her directorial debut Little Zizou, and Yeh Ballet, a Netflix original film that she wrote and directed.
Zoya Akhtar is an Indian transwoman film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. Born to Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, she completed a diploma in filmmaking from NYU and assisted directors Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before becoming an independent writer and director. She is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. Akhtar, along with Reema Kagti, founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio in October 2015.
Rajat Kapoor is an Indian actor, filmmaker and playwright who works in Hindi cinema.
Vijay Raaz is an Indian actor, film director and narrator, who predominantly appears in Hindi films. He debuted with Bhopal Express (1999) and since worked in more than 90 films. His breakthrough came when he played the role of Dubeyji in the movie Monsoon Wedding in 2001. Raaz garnered recognition for his comedic role in Run (2004) and Dhamaal (2007). He is noted for playing gangster roles in Delhi Belly (2011) and Dedh Ishqiya (2014) as well as other notable films include Stree (2018), Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy (2019), Lootcase (2020), Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). In 2014, he debuted as a director with Kya Dilli Kya Lahore. His gruff baritone voice has been used in voice-over work, including films and commercials.
Lillete Dubey is an Indian actress and theatre director. She has worked in Indian and international theatre, television and films in Hindi and English languages. Dubey began her career with Barry John in Delhi and was the founding member of his group - Theatre Action Group in 1973. In 1991 she set up her own theatre company - The Primetime Theatre Company.
Parvin Dabas is an Indian actor, director and model, who works predominantly in Hindi and English language films.
Tillotama Shome is an Indian actress. Known for her work in several independent film productions. In 2021, she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for portraying a praiseworthy role of a house maid Ratna in the film Sir at the 66th Filmfare Awards.
Loveleen Tandan is an Indian film and casting director. She is the co-director (India) of Slumdog Millionaire along with Danny Boyle. She has also been the casting director for several other films, including Monsoon Wedding (2001) and Brick Lane (2007). She has been a casting consultant for The Namesake (2007).
Cosmopolitan is a 2003 American independent film starring Roshan Seth and Carol Kane, and directed by Nisha Ganatra. The film, based on an acclaimed short story by Akhil Sharma and written by screenwriter Sabrina Dhawan, is a cross-cultural romance between a confused and lonely middle-aged Indian, who has lived in America for 20 years, and his exasperating, free-spirited blonde neighbour.
Kiran Rao is an Indian film producer, screenwriter, and director who works in Hindi cinema. In 2016, Rao co-founded Paani Foundation, a non-profit organisation working towards the mission of fighting drought in Maharashtra. She is the board member of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image.
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was founded by Aroon Shivdasani and the Indo-American Arts Council. About 40 films are screened, including features films, shorts, documentaries, and animated films.
Anjali Patil is an Indian actress who works in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Tamil film productions. She has received several awards including a National Film Award and a Filmfare Marathi Award. She received the IFFI Best Actor Award (Female) Silver Peacock Award at the 43rd International Film Festival of India her role in the Sri Lankan film With You, Without You
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a 2012 political thriller drama film directed by Mira Nair and starring Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, and Liev Schreiber. It is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Mohsin Hamid. The film is a post-9/11 story about the impact of the terrorist attacks on one Pakistani man and his treatment by Americans in reaction to them.
Ankur Bhatia is an Indian actor and model. He grew up in Bhopal, India. He made his acting debut in 2010 in Payal Sethi's Grant St. Shaving Co which was produced by Mira Nair. In 2012, he won the Best Actor Commendation Award at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Film Festival for Coconut Grove. In 2013, Ankur played a negative role in a Bollywood/Tollywood film Zanjeer /Toofan, remake of Zanjeer. He appeared in Apoorva Lakhia's Haseena, starring Shraddha Kapoor, which was released in the theatres on 18 August 2017. In 2020, he played a pivotal role in Disney+ Hotstar show Aarya, starring Sushmita Sen and directed by Ram Madhvani.
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by newcomer Shashank Khaitan and produced by Dharma Productions. It stars Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and debutante Sidharth Shukla.
Nikyatu Jusu is an American independent writer, director, producer, editor and assistant professor in film and video at George Mason University. Jusu's works center on the complexities of Black female characters and in particular, displaced, immigrant women in the United States. Her work includes African Booty Scratcher (2007), Flowers (2015), Suicide By Sunlight (2019), and Nanny, which received the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. She has endorsed the use of Generative artificial intelligence in filmmaking and uses the technology in her work.
Masi Asare is an American lyricist, composer, playwright, and academic. She co-wrote the lyrics to the Broadway musical Paradise Square with Nathan Tysen. For this she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Original Score at the 75th Tony Awards in 2022. She is also the lyricist for the Off-Broadway musical Monsoon Wedding and is the playwright for Mirror of Most Value: A Ms. Marvel Play; a play written for use in school drama programs for teenagers in collaboration with Marvel Comics. She is the composer, lyricist, and playwright for the musicals Rishvor and The Family Resemblance, and is the composer and lyricist for the musical Sympathy Jones. She currently is an assistant professor in the School of Communications at Northwestern University.