Pratibha Parmar

British filmmaker Pratibha Parmar has spent more than 20 years behind the camera bringing fresh perspectives to stories of women, minorities and social issues. Her award-winning work has been exhibited widely at international film festivals and broadcast in many countries. NINA'S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS is her award winning feature film debut.

Born in Kenya, of Indian decent, Parmar moved with her family to England at a young age. Following university in England, she began her filmmaking career with documentary shorts as a way to express her passion in representations of subjects and issues not in the mainstream.

In 1991 her career reached a critical turning point with the release of A PLACE OF RAGE, a documentary about African-American’s women role in the civil rights movement. The film received international critical acclaim and was named Best Historical Documentary at the National Black Programming Consortium in the U.S. Her other documentary credits include THE RIGHTEOUS BABES, A BRIMFUL OF ASIA, and the award-winning KHUSH. Drama credits include Sita Gita, Wavelengths and Memsahib Rita.

In 1993, Parmar released her most challenging and inspirational film to date. WARRIOR MARKS, which documented ritual female mutilation in Africa, came at a time when the subject was still taboo in the international community. The award-winning documentary was made in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Walker, the author of "The Color Purple".

Parmar has directed music videos and is the co-author and editor of several books. In October 2007, she was awarded the Visionary Award for her body of work from the One in Ten Film Festival, and she is a past winner of the San Francisco Frameline Film Festival Life Time Achievement Award. Parmar has also founded a television and film production company called Kali Films (08/12).

Bhangra Jig
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 4 min.
A vibrant short video about how young Asian people in Scotland celebrate desire and self-pride through dance and music....

Double the Trouble, Twice the Fun
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1992, 25 min., Color
A rare and lively examination of disability and homosexuality as it affects both women and men, DOUBLE THE TROUBLE, TWICE THE FUN, advocates for accep...

Emergence
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1986, 18 min., Color
Common themes of identity, alienation and herstory in the context of the diasporan experience emerge in this powerful tape. Four Black and Third World...

Flesh and Paper
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1990, 26 min., Color
FLESH AND PAPER is a lyrical exploration of the sense and sensibilities of Indian lesbian poet and writer, Suniti Bamjoshi. This moving and powerful ...

Jodie: An Icon
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1996, 24 min., Color
Jodie is a fast paced, breezy look at the transatlantic phenomenon that has made Hollywood actress Jodie Foster an icon for lesbians who identify with...

Khush
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1991, 24 min., Color
KHUSH means ecstatic pleasure in Urdu. For South Asian lesbians and gay men in Britain, North America, and India (where homosexuality is still illegal...

Memory Pictures
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1984, 24 min.
A beautifully composed profile of gay Indian photographer, Sunil Gupta, and the way his work portrays issues of sexual and racial identity in relation...

A Place of Rage
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1991, 52 min., Color
This exuberant celebration of African American women and their achievements features interviews with Angela Davis, June Jordan and Alice Walker. Withi...

The Righteous Babes
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1998, 50 min., Color
In this accomplished documentary, acclaimed filmmaker Pratibha Parmar (A PLACE OF RAGE, WARRIOR MARKS) explores the intersection of feminism with popu...

Sari Red
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1988, 12 min., Color
Made in memory of Kalbinder Kaur Hayre, a young Indian woman killed in 1985 in a racist attack in England, SARI RED eloquently examines the effect of ...

Siren Spirits
A film by Ngozi Onwurah, Pratibha Parmar, Frances-Anne Solomon, Dani Williamson, 1994, 80 min., Color/BW
SIREN SPIRITS is a wonderful feature comprising four short dramas directed by women of color, produced by Leda Serene for the British Film Institute a...

Warrior Marks
A film by Pratibha Parmar
Executive produced by Alice Walker, 1993, 54 min., Color
WARRIOR MARKS is a poetic and political film about female genital mutilation from the director of A PLACE OF RAGE, presented by the Pulitzer Prize win...

Wavelengths
A film by Pratibha Parmar, 1997, 15 min., Color
WAVELENGTHS explores the time honored quest for love and human intimacy in the polished world of computers and the Internet. Set in gay bars, dreams,...