Maya Bastian’s captivating film Tigress is set to screen at the 2021 Reel Asian Film Festival from November 10th – November 19th. The film follows the fast-paced and drug-fuelled existence of a young woman named Trina who encounters another version of herself as a paramilitary fighter for the Tamil Tigers. One drunken night, she begins questioning the ways in which we rebel, and her sense of western privilege collides with the reality of her ancestors. The film explores the phenomena of militant rebellions. It addresses the disparity between diaspora youth who rebel with drugs and partying and the youth who rebel by arming themselves and going to war. We caught up with May to discuss her career, the film industry, and the movie.
Hi Maya. Congratulations on your career to date, and the film Tigress. Before we talk about the film, for the benefit of our readers, how did you get involved in the industry?
I started as an actor — for most of my childhood I had dreams of being a ‘movie star’. After studying acting and auditioning for several years it became clear to me that roles for South Asian women were few and far between. I kept getting called out for roles as a prostitute or stripper — and it wasn’t satisfying my need to tell more profound stories. I quit the industry and started writing, I had always written fiction since I was a child. I found a love in writing and then got the opportunity to direct. I was scared to take on the role because I knew how challenging it was. But on my first day on set, I realized that everything I had ever loved is encompassed in the craft of directing. I knew deep in my soul that it was the right path for me, and I’ve never looked back.
With roots in conflict journalism, what draws you to a project and what research methods do you apply when you’re exploring a new project?
I’m fascinated by untold stories, particularly those from underrepresented communities. My Tamil community has so many stories that haven’t been told yet, and I’m keen to explore those. I need a project to be committed to diversity both in front of and behind the lens, otherwise, I usually won’t want to work on it. I want to explore the nuances of trauma, and the effects trauma can have on community and culture. I’m very excited by research and love to spend hours going deep on a topic. I usually look for first-person narratives as opposed to documentation or research papers. For me, stories told from the mouth of people experiencing it are key to uncovering the various truths of an issue. I’m very politically active and want to make sure that any story I am telling is shifting our gaze from the colonizer to the colonized. For me deep research always includes community consultation, speaking to those who have ancestral pain. This takes a lot of trust which must be gained, a process to which I’m deeply committed.
Please tell us more about Tigress and what viewers can expect?
Tigress looks at militant rebellion. It looks at youth in western countries who rebel with drugs and partying, and the youth in a conflict zone who might rebel by arming themselves and going to war. It asks the question ‘What if you were born in a conflict zone? What choices would you make differently?” The basis of it comes from my time volunteering with NGOs in Sri Lanka just after the war ended. I was witnessing so much pain and trauma, and it created a dichotomy inside of my 20-something-year-old self thinking about the ways in which my own privilege manifests. The film itself is a richly layered fever dream, exciting for the senses and the psyche. I want viewers to be drawn into the emotion of the piece, and to leave with bigger questions that push them to think in different ways. I hope they do! I believe we as a society should push ourselves to ponder different perspectives on war and conflict than what we see in the media. War is not black and white as we have been told. It encompasses many shades of grey…and bringing awareness to that is a personal mission of mine.
Tigress was supported by CBC, NETFLIX, and the CANADIAN FILM CENTER and recently participated in the CANNES COURT METRAGE 2021. As an artist, showing alternative narratives and fresh perspectives to filmmaking, would you say financial support and backing for independent filmmaking is becoming easier?
As a Canadian, I’ve benefited immensely from the film funding we have in place here. The film was also supported by the Toronto and Ontario Arts Councils, we simply could not have made it without them. We’re very lucky in this country to have a system that supports stories from underrepresented communities. I don’t think it would be this easy in the United States. We have a vibrant community of filmmakers in Toronto, and there is an incredible amount of support that I’m grateful to have. I’m looking to make my first feature soon, and I know it will be a lot easier because of the funding I can access as a Canadian. Ultimately, it’s your network that nurtures you, and the scene here in Canada places a lot of value on community and culture.
Please tell us more about the current project ‘How To Be Brown’ and your work with CINEFAM
How To Be Brown is a half-hour comedy series that I’ve been developing with CineFAM. I’ve been wanting to create a laugh-out-loud show that directly addresses race and representation in a bold way. I’m on an all-female development team at CineFAM and when we were looking for projects to work on, I remembered that I had a show I had been writing in my early 20’s. It’s about a young South Asian woman who is adopted by white parents. She grows up sheltered in a very white suburb and then moves to the big city of Toronto in the early 2000s. She learns to come into her own as a brown woman, but it takes a lot of trial and error! I like the idea of a lead character of color who struggles with her own inherent bias — anti-black racism, cultural divisiveness, and just not knowing how to claim her identity. Though I wasn’t adopted, I was raised in an all-white suburb, and I came to Toronto very white-washed. It took me years to open up and accept my beautiful brownness. Our writer’s room is full of South Asian writers and there are lots of laughs! We will be pitching it to networks soon, and I can’t wait until this series finds a home.
You’ve received several accolades for your work but what is your proudest achievement to date, and why?
Lots of accolades yes! And I’m ever grateful for every one of them. But I have to say that my proudest achievement is demonstrating to my 10-year-old daughter that you can do what you love. I want her to know that passion and dedication can create miracles. I take her on shoots and into casting rooms, she has been with me all along the way from my days temping at an architecture firm to working for film festivals, and now being a full-time writer/director! As a single mama, being able to show her how the struggle to be an artist has paid off has been exceptional. She’s now my #1 fan! She gets so excited when she sees people looking or talking about my work. The other day I showed her my YouTube channel and she completely flipped. Being her mother and giving her the resources to live the life she dreams of…that’s my proudest achievement.
What is your next project?
I’ve got several features in development at the moment. I’m really looking forward to jumping out of the short narrative into long-form. I have a supernatural thriller set in the jungles of post-war Sri Lanka and a drama set in the Texas borderlands around the migrant crisis. There are so many untold stories out there! Right now, I’m working on a paranormal thriller series for Reflector Entertainment which is my first foray into episodic. The world feels very open, with lots of opportunities out there for me, and others like me.
Where can we follow your activities?
Instagram and Twitter @mayabasti. I also have a website www.mayabastian.com. Say hi and let me know what you’re working on! Always here for emerging filmmakers of color to support and encourage.
Images provided by ProjectFour
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