Join Lizzie & Eesha for Film Club's newest event series, discussing trends in filmmaking by Asian diasporic filmmakers and how "representation" has evolved in the last thirty years! Enjoy movie screenings at The Ruby featuring refreshments and reflection together afterwards.

Mississippi Masala, directed by Mira Nair and written by Sooni Taraporevala, is a romantic classic. The film was released in 1991, and in 2022 it was recovered and restored for the Criterion Collection: "Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their home in Uganda by the dictatorship of Idi Amin, twentysomething Mina (Sarita Choudhury) spends her days cleaning rooms in an Indian-run motel in Mississippi. When she falls for the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius (Denzel Washington), their passionate romance challenges the prejudices of both of their families and exposes the rifts between the region’s Indian and African American communities. Tackling thorny issues of racism, colorism, culture clash, and displacement with bighearted humor and keen insight, Nair serves up a sweet, sexy, and deeply satisfying celebration of love’s power."

Topics to consider: Choice of setting, "third culture" specificity, depictions of interracial tensions & romance, how this story compares with similar ones today (also, what are similar stories being depicted today, if any?)

*This is a small gathering of Ruby members and member friends