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Meera Menon

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Meera Menon is an Indian–American director, writer, and editor. Her feature directorial debut, Farah Goes Bang,[1] screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013 and was awarded the inaugural Nora Ephron Prize by Tribeca and Vogue.[2] She currently resides in Los Angeles.[3]

Early life

Menon cited her father as her earliest inspiration for filmmaking, using his camera to shoot films with her next-door neighbour.[4] Since her father, Vijayan Menon, is a film producer, Menon was exposed to filmmaking from a young age.[4] Her father is also a founder of Tara Arts, an English cultural ambassador for South India, showcasing musicals and films.[3] Menon says while her parents encouraged her to pursue the arts, her father advised her to look at it as a hobby.[4]

Because of this way of thinking about film, Menon did not seriously consider filmmaking as a career until she attended Columbia University, and took classes that were taught by professional filmmakers.[4] Menon she received a BA in English and Art History from Columbia, but while she was there, she began directing films and discovered a passion for the craft.[4] She went on to receive an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.[3]

Career

In 2009, Menon wrote and directed the short film Mark in Argentina, a story about a governor searching for his mistress in Argentina. However, it wasn't until Menon released her feature-length debut when she started to get a great deal of recognition from the media.

Menon's first full-length feature film, Farah Goes Bang, was the product of an idea Menon had from a university class and was partially funded by a Kickstarter campaign.[4] In an interview with The Believer, Menon said the idea came to her while she dealt with university life, which has such a strong focus on having sex. Menon wanted to see films where women exploring their sexuality later in life was not seen as abnormal.[4] The film was described by Jennifer Mills as one that, "explores many genres: the road movie, the sexual coming of age movie, the political film, the buddy movie."[5] Menon co-wrote the film with Laura Goode, who also acted as a producer.[5] The film is under Elephant Shoe Pictures, a production company Menon created with her partner, Paul Gleason.[3] Not only did Menon win the Nora Ephron Prize for Farah Goes Bang, but the film also won awards at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and CAAMFest.[6][7]

Menon also works as an editor for Larry King Now, and has done camera work and art direction for other independent projects.[8]

Menon signed on to direct the female-driven Wall Street drama Equity.[9] The film premiered In Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.[10]

In 2016 Menon also wrote and directed the short film The Press Conference for Refinery29's ShatterBox Anthology, a series of 12 shorts written and directed by women. The short premiered on Refinery29's website on September 23, 2016.[11]

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
2017 Blood Drive Director, writer
2016 The Press Conference Director, writer
2016 Equity Director
2013 Farah Goes Bang Writer, director and producer
  • Nominated – Best Director, Winter Film Awards
  • Nominated – Best Film, Winter Film Awards
  • Nominated – Best Narrative Feature, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
  • Nora Ephron Prize, Tribeca Film Festival
  • Best Feature, San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
2009 Mark in Argentina Writer and director

References

  1. ^ "Farah Goes Bang (2013)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  2. ^ Dave McNary (25 April 2013). "Meera Menon Wins Inaugural Nora Ephron Prize at Tribeca". Variety. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Filmmaker". Meera Menon. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "The Believer Logger — Girls Behind The Camera: An Interview with Meera Menon — Girls Behind The Camera: An Interview with Meera". Logger.believermag.com. 27 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b "'Farah Goes Bang' Director Meera Menon Talks About Her Fresh Take on The Road Movie | Tribeca". Tribecafilm.com. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Farah Goes Bang (2013) Awards". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  7. ^ Samantha Highfill (23 April 2013). "Tribeca Film Festival: Meera Menon wins Nora Ephron Prize". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  8. ^ Dave McNary (9 December 2015). "Female Directors Helming Only 6.4% of Movies: DGA Report". Variety. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  9. ^ Dave McNary (17 March 2015). "Meera Menon to Direct Female-Driven Wall Street Drama for Broad Street Pictures". Variety. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  10. ^ Chang, Justin. "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2016 Competition, Next Films". Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Meera Menon's Newest Film: The Press Conference". Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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