“Jumps with life.” - Desson Thomson, Washington Post
“A movie that is not only accessible and earthy, but also innocent and wise.” - Judy Gerstel, Detroit Free Press
One of the greatest entries in 1990s U.S. “indie” cinema, MISSISSIPPI MASALA performs a remarkable balancing act. The young and hopeful Mina (Sarita Choudhury) and Demetrius (Denzel Washington) navigate a cross-cultural romance in the Deep South, where Mina’s parents Jay (Roshan Seth) and Kinnu (Sharmila Tagore) adapt to their new circumstances as South Asian exiles from Idi Amin’s Uganda. Director Mira Nair, one of the great voices of diasporic Indian cinema (who also happens to be Zohran Mamdani’s mother!), recognizes that life in the United States subsists precisely through complexity and intercultural tension.
Awards & Nominations
1991 São Paulo International Film Festival – Winner, Critics Special Award
1991 Venice Film Festival – Winner, Golden Osella (Best Original Screenplay); winner, Golden Ciak (Best Film)
Contact Zones: Cinema of Globalization, 1989–2024
Fall 2026 Lecture Series
“We might have come to the end of something,” Adam Curtis reflected recently, referring to "globalization," which began with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. But just how well do we know this world that we were, until recently, living in? Brief lectures before screenings and open discussions afterwards will cover background on local histories related to films in the series as well as theories of globalization, neoliberalism, migration, and digital culture. Presented in collaboration with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism. Lecturer: Professor Daniel R. Quiles. Select titles offered with Sunday encores; encores do not include lecture.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu