Raised in India and currently living in New York, Mira Nair first came to the public's attention in 1988, with Salaam Bombay, the story of a homeless 10-year-old Bombay boy looking for work: the film won 25 international awards, including two at Cannes, for best first film, and most popular entry. Her latest film, an adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's novel The Namesake, features a main character who is born in America to Indian immigrants and given a name, Gogol, that is neither American nor Indian. "The Namesake," says Nair, "encompasses in a deep, humane way the tale of millions of us who have left one home for another, who have known what it means to combine the old ways with the new world."

Monsoon Wedding, her comedic tak on arranged marriages, was hailed by Roger Ebert as "one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature." Nair's other films include Mississippi Masala, Kama Sutra, and Vanity Fair. She also directed the "India" segment of the September 11 movie 11'09''01.

Mira Nair is currently a mentor in film at the prestigious Rolex Protégé Arts Initiative, joining fellow mentors David Hockney and Mario Vargas Llosa to help guide young artists in critical stages of their artistic development. In addition, her film company, Mirabai films, has just established an annual filmmaker's laboratory, Maisha, which will be dedicated to the support of visionary screenwriters and directors in East Africa and South Asia. Nair's next film, Shantaram, starring Johnny Depp, is currently in production.

From the director's chair, Mira Nair has told the stories of people who exist on the margins, often pulled between two competing worlds. A native of India, schooled at Delhi University and Harvard, she is particularly adept at telling stories that bridge the gap between cultures. She brings that same skill to her lectures and seminars. A natural on stage (she began her career in film in front of the camera, not behind), she challenges audiences to think about assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices, and how these manifest themselves in our relationships. With natural charm and humor she draws her audience into a discussion of the issues explored in her films, as well as the art of filmmaking and the craft of storytelling. Audiences of all backgrounds are thrilled at having spent time with such an accomplished, generous, and thoughtful member of the Hollywood establishment.