Pratibha Parmar is a writer, director and producer of fiction, non-fiction and experimental film. An award-winning filmmaker whose work has received international recognition, her work have been exhibited at film festivals, in art galleries and on BBC Televison (UK) and PBS (U.S) Parmar was awarded The Visionary Award for her body of work from the One in Ten Film Festival in October 2007 and is a past winner of the Frameline Film Festival Life Time Achievement Award.
Parmar’s most recent feature documentary film, Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth tells the compelling life story of American literary icon Alice Walker who made history as the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Color Purple. The film was was broadcast nationwide in the U.S on the Emmy Award winning series American Masters on PBS in February 2014, kicking off Black History month.
Parmar is author and editor of several books, including The Empire Strikes Back (1982) Queer Looks (1993) and Warrior Marks (1997) (with Alice Walker). Her academic and journalistic writings have appeared in multiple anthologies and collections.Parmar is a long time member of (BAFTA) British Academy of Film and Television Association. Currently, Visiting Artist and Viola Frey Distinguished Visiting Professor at California College of Arts, Parmar brings her vast experience of storytelling and extensive knowledge from her long professional career to the teaching environment, inspiring students to discover their unique artistic voices.