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  Kavery Kaul (Director and Producer) recently completed the nonfiction feature Long Way from Home, which interweaves the eloquent, heartfelt stories of three young girls --- Asian-American, Arab-American, and African-American --- in their first encounter with diversity, as newcomers at top schools. This film tackles a timely theme: if one's sense of community has always been based on the sameness of those within, how do we rethink "belonging" to include differences? Actress Madhur Jaffrey describes Long Way from Home as "a complex web that asks America very basic questions about religion, diversity, tolerance, and how serious we are about any of them." Historian Henry Drewry says Long Way from Home "offers significant insights to all those wishing to serve the needs of our children more effectively." Ms. Kaul's work covers a rich variety of subjects. She has won a number of awards and toured worldwide with her films. She has received artistic fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts. She is a graduate of Harvard University. "I like to make films that introduce audiences to people they may never meet otherwise. I like to tell stories that should not remain untold," Kavery explains. "My films are often driven by characters who challenge assumptions about who they are. They bridge worlds; they defy preconceived notions. They straddle multi-layered realities and apparent contradictions." Ms. Kaul, also known as Kavery Dutta, directed, produced, and edited One Hand Don't Clap, a celebration of calypso music that takes the viewer from New York recording studios to the sun-drenched rhythms and magnificent costumes of Trinidad Carnival. One Hand Don't Clap features the legendary stars Lord Kitchener and Calypso Rose. It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, before being released theatrically in the U.S. and internationally. Kavery started as an editor, then launched her directing career with First Look, winner of the Best Cultural Film Award at the Festival of New Latin-American Cinema. Broadcast on PBS-TV in the U.S., First Look focuses on the first U.S. exhibit of contemporary Cuba's art. Ms. Kaul is currently developing two fiction features, The Hindu's Wife, a portrait of a Latina-Indian marriage, and Distant Raga, a story of memories revisited and reshaped by time. Born in India, and brought up in the United States, she is described by Bonnie Pfister in A. Magazine as "one of those rare breeds. Adept at walking the fine line, she lives with the duality of growing up American, as well as recognizing and cherishing one's Indian identity. Kaul's independence and tenacity are striking." 
 Selected Lectures and Talks Whitney Museum of American Art New York University Rutgers University New York Public Library St. Louis Museum of Modern Art Harlem School of the Arts Packer Collegiate Institute Harvard University C.W. Post College Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF) Women Make Movies Black Filmmaker Foundation Selected Film Festivals Telluride, London, Sydney, FESPACO (Africa), India, Martinique, Haifa, Black Light (Chicago), Films on Art (Italy), Athens, New Latin-American Cinema. |
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