Smriti Mundhra

Smriti Mundhra is an Indian-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her production company, Meralta Films, specializes in documentary films and non-fiction content.

Smriti Mundhra
Born
Los Angeles, California
NationalityIndian-American
EducationColumbia University School of the Arts
Alma materCalifornia State University, Northridge
Occupation
  • Director
  • producer
Notable work
Spouse(s)Christian Magalhaes
Parents

Mundhra won the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival for her first feature documentary film A Suitable Girl, along with her co-director Sarita Khurana.[1][2]

In 2020, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for her film St. Louis Superman (2019).

Biography

Early life and education

Mundhra was born in Los Angeles, California and raised between Los Angeles and Mumbai, India. Her father, Jag Mundhra was also a filmmaker. Before she was born, her parents rented a single screen in Culver City, Los Angeles and became the first exhibitors of Bollywood films in the United States.[3]

Mundhra obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English from California State University, Northridge and Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in film at the Columbia University School of the Arts in 2010.[4] Then, Mundhra moved to Mumbai to begin production on her documentary directorial debut film, A Suitable Girl.

Career

Mundhra started working in film in her teenage years.[5] She was a production secretary on the Coen Brothers' The Man Who Wasn't There and O Brother Where Art Thou? as well as Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich. She also served as the production assistant on Neil LaBute's Nurse Betty.[6]

Then, she went on to produce Bomb the System starring Mark Webber[7] that was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for the Best First Feature award.[8] In 2005, she produced Waterborne about three sets of residents who band together after a terrorist attack against LA's water supply. Waterborne received the Special Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival that year.[9] After Waterborne, Mundhra produced Tanuj Chopra's Punching At the Sun. Punching At the Sun premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, was an official selection at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.[10]

Immediately after graduating from Columbia University, Mundhra, along with fellow Columbia alumna Sarita Khurana, moved to Mumbai to begin filming A Suitable Girl. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017.[11][12][13]

In 2018, she directed an ad campaign for Bumble's launch in India starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas called “Equal Not Loose”.[14] Mundhra was named DOC NYC's 40 Under 40 Filmmakers.[15]

Mundhra directed and produced St. Louis Superman, a short documentary, with Sami Khan. The film, produced by Mundhra, Khan and Poh Si Teng, follows former Ferguson activist, battle rapper and state representative Bruce Franks Jr. as he tries to pass a critical bill for his community.[16] It was commissioned by Al Jazeera English [17] and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019 where it was awarded the Special Jury Mention.[18] It became the first short documentary acquired by MTV's new documentary banner, MTV Documentary Films, helmed by Sheila Nevins.[19]

In 2020, St. Louis Superman was nominated for the 92nd Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary (Short Subject).[20]

Mundhra is also the Executive Producer and Creator of Netflix's original documentary series, Indian Matchmaking. [21][22][23][24]

Personal life

Mundhra is married to Emmy-nominated screenwriter, Christian Magalhaes and they live in Los Angeles, California with their two children.[25][26]

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References
  1. "Directors use film to speak on social issues at 2017 Tribeca Film Festival". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  2. "Award-Winning Desi Directors Tackle Arranged Marriage Stigma in 'A Suitable Girl'". www.colorlines.com. 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  3. Lim, Woojin (2020-07-15). "Storytelling Without a Script: Interview with Smriti Mundhra". Harvard Political Review. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  4. "Smriti Mundhra". Columbia - School of the Arts. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  5. Lim, Woojin (2020-07-15). "Storytelling Without a Script: Interview with Smriti Mundhra". Harvard Political Review. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  6. "Smriti Mundhra". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  7. Rooney, David; Rooney, David (2003-05-12). "Bomb the System". Variety. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  8. Bomb the System - IMDb, retrieved 2020-07-20
  9. "Tribeca 2017 Women Directors: Meet Smriti Mundhra and Sarita Khurana— "A Suitable Girl"". womenandhollywood.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  10. "Punching at the Sun". Chops Films. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  11. "Heart of the Matter". The Indian Express. 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  12. Cornelious, Deborah (2019-09-14). "'Ready or Not' review: Here comes the bride". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  13. "'A Suitable Girl' Doc Explores Arranged Marriage in India (Exclusive Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  14. "Indian-American filmmakers Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan win Oscar nominations for "St. Louis Superman", an American tale". cnbctv18.com. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  15. "DOC NYC ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL "40 UNDER 40" LIST". DOCNYC. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  16. Stevenson, Samantha (2020-01-13). "'St. Louis Superman,' documentary about Ferguson activist and politician Bruce Franks Jr., among 2020 Oscar nominees". www.stlmag.com. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  17. "'St. Louis Superman' film featuring Bruce Franks, Jr. nominated for a 2020 Oscar". FOX 2. 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  18. "Here are the Winners of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival's Juried Awards". Tribeca. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  19. "MTV Documentary Films Unveils '17 Blocks' and 'St. Louis Superman'". TheWrap. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  20. oscar.go.com https://oscar.go.com/nominees/documentary-short/documentary-short-st-louis-superman. Retrieved 2020-07-21. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. Menon, Radhika (2020-07-16). "'Indian Matchmaking' Creator Smriti Mundhra Puts A Spotlight On The Marriage Industrial Complex of the South Asian Diaspora". Decider. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  22. "Indian Matchmaking's Sima "Aunty" and filmmaker Smriti Mundhra talk modern-day arranged marriages, astrology, and more". Vogue India. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  23. Wagmeister, Elizabeth; Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2020-06-23). "Netflix Orders Unscripted Indian Matchmaking Series and Autism Dating Show (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  24. "'Indian Matchmaking': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  25. "Alumni Directed 'St. Louis Superman' Picked up by Legendary Producer Sheila Nevins and MTV". Columbia - School of the Arts. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  26. "'A Suitable Girl' Will Challenge Everything You Thought You Knew About Arranged Marriage". Bustle. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
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