Writer | Director | Producer Pratibha Parmar has directed award-winning films for BBC, Channel 4, ITVS, PBS and European broadcasters. Her work has also had theatrical distribution.
Pratibha Parmar is currently focused on directing scripted television. In 2019 Pratibha made her US debut as a director of scripted television when she was invited by Ava DuVernay to direct episode 12 of Season 4 of QUEEN SUGAR, executive produced by Ava DuVernay & Oprah Winfrey for OWN/Warner Brothers. In 2022, Pratibha directed an episode of the iconic show Law & Order: SVU for NBC.
In June 2022, Pratibha’s independent film, My Name Is Andrea, a hybrid doc featuring performances from Ashley Judd, Andrea Riseborough, Amandla Stenberg, Christine Lahti and Soko, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews from The Hollywood Reporter, The NY Times and the New Yorker amongst others.
Her other credits include ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH, a feature length documentary on the life of Pulitzer Prize winning author of THE COLOR PURPLE and includes interviews with Steven Spielberg, Danny Glover and Quincy Jones. Recognized as a pioneering filmmaker, Pratibha directed the ground breaking film KHUSH, one of the first films to give visibility to and highlight the experiences of LGBT people in India. Pratibha made her debut as a narrative director with her award-winning romantic comedy, NINA’S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS.
In 2020, Pratibha was selected as part of NBC’s pioneering Female Forward project, designed to promote female directors in the world of scripted television drama.
A globally recognised filmmaker and human rights activist Pratibha’s films, WARRIOR MARKS and KHUSH helped gain much needed rights for women and girls as well as contributing to the visibility of marginalized LGBT communities. Her accomplishments have been recognized with multiple awards. In 2017 Pratibha received the ICON award presented by Bagari London Indian Film Festival in Association with the British Film Institute for Outstanding Contribution to Indian and World Cinema. In 2016 Pratibha was included in the BBC’s list of 100 inspirational and influential women. Pratibha is the proud recipient of the Frameline Film Festival Award, presented to an individual who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to lesbian and gay media.
Pratibha was invited to be a Visiting Artist at Stanford University and has also taught film in her capacity as a Professor in the Film Program at California College of the Arts, San Francisco.
Parmar is a member of the Directors Guild of America and a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Where to watch Pratibha’s work: Vimeo On Demand
HELLO
I was born in Nairobi, Kenya to Indian parents who immigrated to the UK when I was 12. I grew up in London and studied in Yorkshire, the land of the Bronte sisters.
I come from a culture of audacious and imaginative storytellers. I read voraciously as a young girl and this opened up a deep desire to live a life differently to the one proscribed by my family and culture. I’ve embraced my outsider status as a gift that opens up pathways to untold stories. My passion is firmly focused at the intersections of art and social justice as well as smart entertainment. I have always been compelled to tell stories of people relegated to the margins of mainstream culture. I get excited by collaborating with like-minded humans creating moving images, building different kinds of worlds and possibilities and disrupting existing paradigms. I especially love telling stories with strong female characters.
There was a time when I played an electric bass guitar in a band hiding behind 3 chords and long hair, kicking it back and rocking it out. These days I dance in my kitchen and find meditating a necessary life skill.
My nomadic instinct has taken me across many continents of our beautiful planet. I enjoy creating a beautiful home wherever I am with my partner, who is an architect and a producer. I currently live in Berkeley, California where I am in love with the redwoods and find the close proximity to the Pacific ocean thrilling.
I love this quote by Spanish painter, Joan Miro. “You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at the picture for a second and think of it all your life.” For me it sums up my desire to make work that is both memorable and life changing.
