Deepa Mehta

January 1, 1950 — Amritsar, Punjab, India

Deepa Mehta, LLD (born 1 January 1950 in Amritsar, Punjab, India) is a Genie Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, most known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005), which was nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Her repertoire includes Bollywood/Hollywood and the adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Midnight’s Children. Born in India, she migrated to Canada after studying philosophy at the University of New Delhi. Initially focusing on documentaries, she's received numerous awards, honorary degrees, and prestigious honours like the Governor General’s Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award and the Order of Canada for her groundbreaking work in film. Recognized for challenging norms, Mehta’s films are revered for their daring and provocative nature, earning her distinctions like the Best Canadian Director by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle in 2006. She also co-founded Hamilton-Mehta Productions, with her husband, producer David Hamilton in 1996.