New York, April 26 (IANS) Indian American filmmaker Meera Menon has been awarded the inaugural Nora Ephron Award at the 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival being held here.
Menon, who was selected out of eight contenders for her debut feature "Farah Goes Bang", was conferred with the award for embodying the spirit and vision of Nora Ephron, the legendary American filmmaker and writer, a festival statement said.
The award carries a cash prize of $25,000.
Set in 2004, "Farah Goes Bang" follows an awkward 20-something girl as she hits the road with her friends to stump for John Kerry in the presidential election. At the same time, she secretly hopes the trip will also be her opportunity to finally shed her long-unwanted virginity.
"We're thrilled to highlight Meera's work with this special award. We were impressed with her fresh, witty, and smart take on a coming of age story about girlfriends, passions and politics," TFF co-founder Jane Rosenthal said in the statement.
"Her film captures the spirit and themes of Nora's work. I'm proud to continue Nora's legacy through this award and continue to encourage women filmmakers to create the work that inspires them," she added.
Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff are the other co-founders of the Tribeca Film Festival that was founded in 2002 in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks.