Join us on Saturday June 12th for this exciting exploration of the career of Parsi actress Persis Khambatta. To many, Persis Khambatta was the woman who turned heads as Lieutenant Ilia in the film Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979), but to many of those from the South Asian and Parsi community, Persis’ pioneering journey across the globe was a historical moment of being seen.
The panel invites the FEZANA community to join a conversation with the filmmaker Vaishali Sinha, alongwith artists Sooni Taraporevala and Farah Bala – whose paths crossed with Persis Khambatta. Together we will explore Persis’ work and ambitious journey, and learn from each other the Persis we know. We invite you to join us as we collectively walk down Persis Lane.
PERSIS is an ongoing documentary film exploring the legacy of the unheralded model-turned-actor Persis Khambatta.
Speaker Bios
SOONI TARAPOREVALA
Sooni Taraporevala is an award-winning screenwriter, photographer and filmmaker. She is the author/publisher of 2 editions of the photo book PARSIS A Photographic Journey1980- 2004, a popular and critical success, now out of print.. In 2017 Harper Collins published her photo book Home in the City Bombay 1977 – Mumbai 2017. Her photographs are in museums & collections worldwide. She won a national award for her debut film LITTLE ZIZOU and was awarded a Padma Shri in 2014. Her latest film YEH BALLET that she wrote and directed is streaming worldwide on Netflix. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
FARAH BALA
Farah Bala has worked as a performing artist and producer for over two decades in Theater, Film-TV in South Asia and the US. She is also an Audie nominated voiceover artist. Some recent Film-TV credits include Quantico, Orange is the New Black, Steven Soderberg’s High Flying Bird. Farah has simultaneously used the tools of the theater in arts education, developing social-emotional learning in NYC public schools, international volunteering initiatives, and professional environments globally and across industries.
She is currently Founder & CEO of FARSIGHT, a leadership development consultancy that prioritizes Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Farah’s speaking engagements include Yale University, Ford Foundation, Voice America, NY Travel Festival, Travel Unity, Adirondack Diversity Initiative, Oregon Shakespeare Fest, Asian American Arts Alliance, among others. She is a sought after speaker at national conferences, most recently at SHPE and SASE. Farah is also the creator and host of FARSIGHT FRIDAY, a video podcast started in 2020 in response to the heightened racism and divisiveness of marginalized communities. She is featured in Umbrage Edition’s national award-winning book Green Card Stories as one of 50 profiles of recent immigrants from around the world.
VAISHALI SINHA
Vaishali Sinha directed/produced the feature documentary ASK THE SEXPERT (PBS, Netflix India) about a 92-year-old sex advice columnist in India who gains popularity despite the ban on sex education in schools in several states. The film traveled to over 40 film festivals, won Best Documentary Award at New Orleans Film Festival, a Critics Choice Award in India, and a Grierson Nomination for Best Entertaining film.
Vaishali also co-directed/produced the award-winning documentary MADE IN INDIA about the personal stories behind the phenomenon of outsourcing surrogacy to India. The film premiered at Hot Docs Film Festival in Canada and aired on PBS in 2012. Variety called it “an engrossing feature” and The Hindu wrote “the film does not judge, it only states and allows the viewer that prerogative.”
Vaishali is from Mumbai and currently resides in New York with her husband Fred Lassen, a Music Director and their 6-year-old son Luca.
