Born in Bhubaneshwar in India in 1957, and educated in the universities of Delhi and Harvard, Mira Nair is currently based in South Africa. Though she directed several award-winning documentaries before she began making features films, she came to most peoples attention when, at the age of 27, she directed 'Salaam Bombay' , which was nominated for an Oscar for 'Best Foreign Language Film' and won 25 other awards including the 'Camera D'Or' and 'Prix Du Publique' at Cannes. She directed the recently released'Monsoon Wedding'which won 'The Golden Lion' at Venice, making her the first woman and also the first asian director to win this award. ' Monsoon Wedding' is hoped to be chosen as the Indian submission to the Oscars this year. Some of her other films include'Mississippi Masala', 'The Perez Family',' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love' and 'My Own Country'. . She recently completed the documentary ' The Laughing Club of India' which has already won an award in the United States and will premiere shortly on the HBO channel. Mira is currently shooting 'Hysterical Blindness', with Uma Thurman and Gena Rowlands.