Mandrika Rupa is an Indian- New Zealand filmmaker and community worker. She is a member of

The Kshetra Collective The Kshetra Collective is a creative collective of diverse multimedia New Zealand artists of Indian heritage. The collective is made up of Tiffany Singh, Shruti Yatri, Mandrika Rupa, Jacob Rajan, Rafik Patel, Sarah Dutt and Mandy Rupa-Reid. T ...

, a diverse group of artists in New Zealand of Indian heritage.

Biography

Rupa was born in Gujarat, India and moved to New Zealand in 1960. Rupa's grandfather, Jaga Rupa, emigrated to New Zealand in 1907 just after immigration restrictions targeted at Chinese and Indians were lifted. Jaga Rupa settled in the Waikato and became a hawker. Rupa has six siblings who were all born in New Zealand and one born in India. In 1981 Rupa's daughter Mandy Rupa-Reid was born. Between 1986 and1988 Rupa gained a qualification in

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

. In 1993 Rupa founded Nari Shakti, a platform for Indian women to empower one another, their communities and promote economic independence. A trip to India in 1993 prompted Rupa's journey into filmmaking. Much of Rupa's film work explores the social implications of immigrant communities, the experiences of the South Asian diaspora and giving visibility to underrepresented voices.

Films

Rupa's short film ''Poonam (1994)'' is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Biography

Films

References

Further reading