Debutant filmmaker beats out seven other contenders at Tribeca festival
By SujeetRajan
NEW YORK: Indian American filmmaker MeeraMenon has been awarded the inaugural Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca film festival here for her debut feature film Farah Goes Bang, a coming of age story of a twenty-something old woman who tries to lose her virginity while campaigning for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential elections.
Named after the late filmmaker Nora Ephron, the Los Angeles-based Menon beat out seven other contenders for the prize which comes with $25,000. The prize was presented to Menon at a brunch ceremony by the Tribeca Film Festival’s co-founder Jane Rosenthal and Sally Singer, Vogue’s creative digital director.
“We’re thrilled to highlight Meera’s work with this special award. We were impressed with her fresh, witty and smart take on a coming of age story about girlfriends, passion and politics,” said Rosenthal in a statement. “Her film captures the spirit and themes of Nora’s work. I’m proud to continue Nora’s legacy through this award and continue to encourage women filmmakers to create the work that inspires them.”
“As a filmmaker I had always been inspired by Nora, she emblematized how to take pain and suffering and turn them into laughter and joy,” said Menon, accepting the award for the film which features in the Viewpoints section of the festival. “Those qualities inspired me and my co-filmmakers. Receiving this incredible honor in her name means more than I could ever articulate.”
Menon, who graduated with a BA in Art History and English Literature from Columbia University, finished an MFA in Writing, Directing and Producing from the University of Southern California in 2011. She wrote and directed Farah Goes Bang.
At present, she is also a Teaching Artist at Greenway Arts Alliance. In the past, she has been a Personal Trainer at Apple and an animation teacher.
To contact the editor, e-mail: sujeetrajan@americanbazaaronline.com