Nina Parikh has been with the Mississippi Film Office for 23 years, currently serving as the director. Established in 1973, the Film Office is one of the oldest of its kind in the world. The office’s mission is to foster the growth of the film industry in Mississippi, connect filmmakers with necessary resources and to cultivate and promote filmmaking by, for and about Mississippians.
She studied filmmaking at the University of Southern Mississippi and New York University, began her career as a freelance camera assistant, worked in the industry as a producer, and teaches a film production class at Millsaps College. She produced the Mississippi made film “Ballast” which won two awards at Sundance Film Festival in 2009. She serves on the boards of 3 college-level institutions, advising on film & media curriculum development; developed the curriculum and served as director for the Canton Young Filmmakers Summer Program; and co-wrote a book about digital video for the amateur.
Nina is a co-founder and board member of the Crossroads Film Festival & Society and Mississippi Film Alliance, a non-profit supporting indigenous filmmaking. Additionally, she serves on the boards of the Association of Film Commissioners International, South Arts, Mississippi Book Festival, Creative Mississippi, and is a producer of TEDxJackson.
Most importantly, she’s a wife and a mom to their 12 year old son.
