Mandrika Rupa

Mandrika Rupa
Born
Gujarat, India
Known forFilmmaker

Mandrika Rupa is an Indian- New Zealand filmmaker and community worker.[1] She is a member of The Kshetra Collective, a diverse group of artists in New Zealand of Indian heritage.[2]

Biography

Rupa was born in Gujarat, India and moved to New Zealand in 1960.[1] Rupa's grandfather, Jaga Rupa, emigrated to New Zealand in 1907 just after immigration restrictions targeted at Chinese and Indians were lifted.[3] Jaga Rupa settled in the Waikato and became a hawker.[3][1] Rupa has six siblings who were all born in New Zealand and one born in India.[3] In 1981 Rupa's daughter Mandy Rupa-Reid was born.

Between 1986 and1988 Rupa gained a qualification in social work.[4]

In 1993 Rupa founded Nari Shakti, a platform for Indian women to empower one another, their communities and promote economic independence.[4][5]

A trip to India in 1993 prompted Rupa's journey into filmmaking.[4] Much of Rupa's film work explores the social implications of immigrant communities, the experiences of the South Asian diaspora and giving visibility to underrepresented voices.[1]

Films

Film Year Role Description Language
Against Her Will 2007 Pre-production Documentary about domestic violence in the West
Inheritance/ A lament 2006 Te reo Māori, Punjabi, English subtitles
Hidden Apartheid 2005 Director & Producer Documentary on the caste system in India and discrimination in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand.[6]
Taamara/Sangam (The Joining of Two Peoples) 2004 Director & Writer Accounts from Māori of the story of a group of Indian men settled in Te Uku in the early 1900s.[7] Te reo Māori, Hindi
Laxmi 1998 Director & Writer Life in colonial New Zealand through an Indian diasporic lens.[8] English
Naya Zamana 1996 Director & Producer A documentary about queer experiences in a family of South Pacific Indian heritage.[9] Hindi
Poonam 1994 Director & Writer Documentary about three Indian women who migrated with their families to New Zealand around the 1890s.[10]
I'm Not Here 1994 Director English

Rupa's short film Poonam (1994) is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Mandrika Rupa • Film Maker & Community Worker". mandrikarupa.com. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. ^ The Kshetra Collective. "A Place to Stand Turangawaewae" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b c d "Taamara Sangam and Laxmi - Lifestyle News". The New Zealand Herald. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Rupa, Mandrika. "Curriculum Vitae and Filmography" (PDF). mandrikarupa.com.
  5. ^ Shah, Dhara (3 January 2019). "NariShakti - NariShakti". narishakti.in. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Hidden Apartheid - A Report on Caste Discrimination". hiddenapartheid-themovie.com. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  7. ^ Mandrika Rupa : Taamara/Sangam (The Joining of Two Peoples), retrieved 15 January 2024
  8. ^ Mandrika Rupa : Laxmi, retrieved 14 January 2024
  9. ^ Rupa, Mandrika (24 July 1996), Naya Zamana (Short), retrieved 14 January 2024
  10. ^ "Cinenova". Retrieved 14 January 2024.

Further reading