So Far From India (Mira Nair, 1983, 50 min, USA) and India Cabaret (Mira Nair, 1985, 60 min, India)

Maysles Documentary Center presents two documentaries from the early career of filmmaker Mira Nair, whose narrative features (Mississippi Masala, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake) have bridged the canons of 20th and 21st century cinema with their deft cross-cultural understanding and explosive visual panache.  

The double feature will be preceded by a pre-recorded video introduction from filmmaker Mira Nair and followed by a live conversation with film critic Devika Girish.

So Far From India (Mira Nair, 1983, 50 min, USA)

Ashok Sheth is one of many Indian immigrants working in subway newsstands in New York City. This documentary follows his first journey back home to Ahmedabad, where he is forced to confront the conflicts between his ancestral culture and his new life in America

India Cabaret (Mira Nair, 1985, 60 min, India)

This documentary examines the line separating “good” and “bad” women in Indian society, specifically by focusing on the dancers at a Bombay strip club, a frequent patron, and his stay-at-home wife.