Mixing Nia

Directed by Alison Swan
USA
1998
98 mins
Remastered in HD from 35mm negative

Mixing Nia

A film by Alison Swan
Karyn Parsons, Isaiah Washington, Eric Thal, Diego Serrano

Nia Evans (Karyn Parsons – Fresh Prince of Bel Air) appears to have “the perfect life” – she’s beautiful, young, and intelligent with a loving family and a lucrative job at a New York advertising firm. That is until
her employer gives her the assignment that seems a deal with the devil: to write an ad campaign for malt liquor aimed at black kids. Nia throws it all away to pursue her dream of writing the great African American Novel, but soon realizes that she’s never known who she really is.

Born to an African American mother and a white Jewish father, Nia embarks on an odyssey of love, disappointment, and laughter to find her voice amongst a din of false assumptions about race. Her journey begins with Lewis (Isaiah Washington – “Soul Food”, Romeo Must Die), her handsome, passionate writing teacher. But Lewis can’t seem to accept the fact that he is not Henry Higgins and she Eliza Doolittle. She seeks comfort in the arms of carefree Matt (Eric Thal – Snow Falling On Cedars), who can’t even pretend to understand her dilemma. Finally, she meets Joe, a stable affectionate man with an understanding of Nia’s struggle — but with a dream job waiting for him in Los Angeles. Nia, alone with no man to bolster her, finds that the only true solace and acceptance she can find are within herself.

Directed and written Alison Swan, featuring an all-star cast, and praised by festivals around the world, Mixing Nia is a refreshing, romantic, and hilarious take on identity and relationships.

RATED R for Language and Brief Sexuality