So Far from India. 1983. USA. Directed by Mira Nair. 16mm. 52 min.
El Otro Lado. 1978. USA. Directed by Danny Lyon. 16mm. In Spanish; English subtitles. 59 min.
Prior to her acclaimed career as a director of narrative films, Mira Nair focused on intimate documentaries exploring Indian culture, heritage, and social issues. In So Far from India, Nair follows an Indian immigrant who sells newspapers in New York’s subway stations and briefly returns to Ahmedabad to visit his pregnant wife, their baby, and his in-laws, forcing him to confront his new life in the US amid the expectations of his cultural heritage and loved ones. In El Otro Lado, Danny Lyon films a reenactment of undocumented Mexican farmworkers’ border crossings into the agricultural areas of Phoenix’s Maricopa County, offering direct insight into the struggles and resilience of those who seek a new life on “the other side.”