"Monsoon Wedding," written by Sabrina Dhawan, graduate student in the film division at Columbia University's School of the Arts, and directed by Mira Nair, adjunct assistant professor of film at the School of the Arts, has won the top prize, the Golden Lion, as best film at the 58th Venice Film Festival.

Dhawan and Nair met at Columbia. Dhawan first brought the director the idea for the movie 18 months ago, while Nair was teaching in the film division.

According to Dan Kleinman, assistant professor of film and chair of the film division at the School of the Arts, the award brings honor to Dhawan, her professors and the entire film division, without which the film would not have happened.

"We are ecstatic at this achievement and couldn't be more proud of what Mira and Sabrina have accomplished. This is a great beginning to Sabrina's career, and further confirmation of Mira's enormous talent. I'm also struck by the number of writer-director teams recently that have come out of the Film Division, like Kim Peirce and Andy Bienen ("Boys Don't Cry") or Joan Stein and Christina Lazaridi ("One Day Crossing")," said Kleinman.

"Monsoon Wedding" began shooting a year ago and was completed in May. It opens in India in October and in the U.S. in Janurary.