Meera Menon is an Indian–American director, writer, and editor. Her feature directorial debut, Farah Goes Bang,[1] screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013 and was awarded the inaugural Nora Ephron Prize by Tribeca and Vogue.[2] She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, cinematographer Paul Gleason. [3]
Meera Menon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Park Ridge, NJ |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse | Paul Gleason |
| Relatives | Vijayan Menon (film producer) |
Early life
editMenon‘s family is from Kerala, India. Menon cited her father Vijayan, a film producer and a founder of Tara Arts, an English cultural ambassador for South India that showcases musicals and films,[3] as her earliest inspiration for filmmaking, using his camera to shoot films at a young age with her next-door neighbour.[4] Menon says while her parents encouraged her to pursue the arts, her father advised her to look at it as a hobby.[4]
Because of this way of thinking about film, Menon did not seriously consider filmmaking as a career until she attended Columbia University, and took classes that were taught by professional filmmakers.[4] Menon received a BA in English and Art History from Columbia, but while she was there, she began directing films and discovered a passion for the craft.[4] She went on to receive an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.[3]
Career
editIn 2009, Menon wrote and directed the short film Mark in Argentina, a story about a governor searching for his mistress in Argentina. However, it wasn't until Menon released her feature-length debut that she started to get a great deal of recognition from the media.
Menon's first full-length feature film, Farah Goes Bang, was described by Jennifer Mills as one that, "explores many genres: the road movie, the sexual coming of age movie, the political film, the buddy movie."[5] Menon co-wrote the film with Laura Goode, who also acted as a producer.[5] Not only did Menon win the Nora Ephron Prize for Farah Goes Bang, but the film also won awards at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and CAAMFest.[6][7]
In 2015, Menon directed the female-driven Wall Street drama Equity.[8] The film premiered in Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.[9]
In 2016, Menon also wrote and directed the short film The Press Conference for Refinery29's ShatterBox Anthology, a series of 12 shorts written and directed by women. The short premiered on Refinery29's website on 23 September 2016.[10]
She had also worked as a director on the TV series The Magicians for an episode in the third, and two in the fourth season.
According to Syfy in 2022, Menon will direct a film based on Naomi Novik's best-selling YA fantasy A Deadly Education, in development by Mandeville Films as part of a series bought by Universal Hollywood.[11]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mark in Argentina | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Farah Goes Bang | Yes | Yes |
|
| 2016 | Equity | Yes | No | |
| The Press Conference | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2025 | Didn't Die | Yes | Yes |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Directors | Writers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Blood Drive | Yes | No | 2 episodes |
| Fear the Walking Dead | Yes | No | Episode: "This Land Is Your Land" | |
| 2018 | Titans | Yes | No | Episode: "Together" |
| GLOW | Yes | No | Episode: "The Good Twin" | |
| The Man in the High Castle | Yes | No | Episode: "History Ends" | |
| The Magicians | Yes | No | 4 episodes | |
| 2019 | The Punisher | Yes | No | Episode: "The Abyss" |
| The Walking Dead | Yes | No | Episode: "Bounty" | |
| The Terror: Infamy | Yes | No | Episode: "My Perfect World" | |
| You | Yes | No | Episode: "Farewell, My Bunny" | |
| Outlander | Yes | No | 2 episodes | |
| 2020 | Dirty John | Yes | No | Episode: "The Turtle and the Alligator" |
| 2021 | For All Mankind | Yes | No | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Ms. Marvel | Yes | No | 2 episodes |
| Westworld | Yes | No | Episode: "Metanoia" |
References
edit- ^ "Farah Goes Bang (2013)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- ^ Dave McNary (25 April 2013). "Meera Menon Wins Inaugural Nora Ephron Prize at Tribeca". Variety. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b c "Filmmaker". Meera Menon. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d "The Believer Logger — Girls Behind The Camera: An Interview with Meera Menon – Girls Behind The Camera: An Interview with Meera". Logger.believermag.com. 27 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b "'Farah Goes Bang' Director Meera Menon Talks About Her Fresh Take on The Road Movie | Tribeca". Tribecafilm.com. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ "Farah Goes Bang (2013) Awards". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- ^ Samantha Highfill (23 April 2013). "Tribeca Film Festival: Meera Menon wins Nora Ephron Prize". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ Dave McNary (17 March 2015). "Meera Menon to Direct Female-Driven Wall Street Drama for Broad Street Pictures". Variety. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ Chang, Justin (2 December 2015). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2016 Competition, Next Films". Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Meera Menon's Newest Film: The Press Conference". MSN. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ "A DEADLY EDUCATION' NOVEL TO BECOME FANTASY FILM HELMED BY 'MS. MARVEL' ALUM MEERA MENON". Syfy. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
So far, there's no early word on casting or a release date for A Deadly Education's upcoming magical matriculation in theaters.