Award-winning filmmaker to speak at Rice University April 11

CONTACT: Jennifer Evans
PHONE: 713-348-6777
E-MAIL: jevans@rice.edu

Award-winning filmmaker to speak at Rice University April 11
Mira Nair to discuss social issues explored in her films, the art of storytelling

Award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair will give the annual Dominque de Menil Lecture in the 2005-06 President’s Lecture Series at Rice University Tuesday, April 11, at 8 p.m. in Grand Hall, Rice Memorial Center.

Her talk is titled “Between Two Worlds: An Evening with Mira Nair.”

From the director’s chair, Nair has told the stories of people who exist on the margins, often pulled between two competing worlds. A native of India and schooled at Delhi University and Harvard, Nair is particularly adept at telling stories that bridge the gap between cultures. She brings that same skill to her lectures and seminars, where she challenges audiences to think about assumptions, stereotypes and prejudices and how these manifest themselves in people’s relationships.

Nair has been lauded from her earliest endeavors, finding award-winning success as a documentary filmmaker before moving on to feature films. Her debut feature, “Salaam Bombay,” was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for best foreign-language film. It also won the Camera D’Or (for best first feature) and the Prix du Publique (for most popular entry) at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as other international awards. Since then, with films like “Mississippi Masala,” “Monsoon Wedding,” “Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love,” “My Own Country” and “Vanity Fair,” Nair has become one of the most respected, acclaimed and award-winning directors of her generation. Her current project, “The Namesake,” based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, is expected to be released later this year.

The President’s Lecture Series is supported by the J. Newton Rayzor Lecture Fund and has long been a distinguished element of Rice’s academic community. The series, open to the Rice community and the people of Houston, embodies William Marsh Rice’s commitment to contribute educational opportunities to the broader society. The Office of the President sponsors the series as it continues to bring stimulating speakers who foster understanding about a wide range of topics in the sciences, humanities, engineering, social sciences, architecture, music and public policy.

To attend the free lecture, enter Gate 20 off Rice Boulevard or Gate 8 off University Boulevard. Paid visitor parking is available in the North Lot (on the left as you enter Gate 20) and in the Alice Pratt Brown Lot (first left turn after you enter Gate 8). Free visitor parking is located in the Greenbriar Lot near Gate 13A. A campus map is available at <www.rice.edu/maps/maps.html>. Rice Memorial Center is building No. 57 on the map.

No tickets will be needed for admission to the president’s lecture. Seating will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, call 713-348-5585 or e-mail <ricepls@rice.edu>.