While packing up her daughter’s apartment, a single mother discovers startling details about her only child, which challenge her ability to process a recent loss.

Interview with Writer/Director Ria Tobaccowala

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

In the South Asian community, the term “American-Born Confused Desi” ("ABCD") refers to children of immigrants who were born and raised in the United States. Being an “ABCD” suggests that as first generation Indian-Americans, we ignore our culture and solely adopt American beliefs. However, for children of immigrants, there are many nuances and challenges to defining our identities. How do we respect our family’s rich heritage and live a life true to who we are as Americans?

This film is an exploration of how immigrants and their American-born children navigate building a shared set of beliefs and how to deal with situations where there is no roadmap on how to come to terms with conflicting values. Writing and directing “Life After” provided an extraordinary outlet to think deeply about my heritage and how being of two cultures has shaped my life.

I hope this film sparks conversation in families and communities about what we leave unsaid that should be shared, celebrated and supported between loved ones.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

A few reasons I hope! I am very biased as the writer/director, but there is a strong message in the film that audiences are connecting with. The film says a lot about parent-child relationship and unconditional love with little dialogue and in a short period of time. The performances are incredible. I was so fortunate to collaborate with very talented actors. Each of the women on screen brought so much sincerity and authenticity to the roles they played.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The universal themes in this film are about family, mourning loved ones and our deep need as humans to connect with others. Even though this film is highly specific in terms of characters, location and situation, the themes are pretty universal. My hope is anyone in the world can find something in this film to relate to as they watch.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The film has been an absolute labor of love. We spent 10 months working on this film. The initial framework of the idea - a mother discovering new things about her adult child - has stayed the same since the beginning. However, the film has evolved in terms of the larger message and how we decided to visualize the script with cinematography, locations and production design. In many ways, I actually made three movies. The one I wrote, the one I directed, and ultimately the one I edited. In each phase of the process - development, production and post-production - the film took a life of its own. I am so proud of the time we spent as a team to make this film into something worthy of the initial idea and to connect with a variety of audiences.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Overall, the feedback has been positive. Many tell us they left the theater in tears. The film, despite being short, is hitting at an emotional truth that resonates with our audiences. The performances of our actors, Vidula Mungekar, Purva Bedi and Allison Byrnes, are getting great feedback. They really breathed life into the words on the page to create deep, conflicted characters who audiences see themselves in.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We are looking to create more interest in the project and have a large conversation about LGBTQ within conservative cultures. We hope our film continues to make audiences think about their perspectives and discuss topics that are often left out of dinner table conversations.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We'd love to find sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors and journalists who can help get our film and its message out to more audiences around the world.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

When we first privately screened the film, a friend of mine who came with his parents told me that the film helped his relationship with his mom. He further explained that he came out very late to his parents, which strained their relationship. However, this film made his mom feel grateful that he was able to tell them before it was too late. I would love to have more great stories like this to share on how the film helped families have open conversations and connect with one another.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

The key question with this film: what would you do if you were the mom (Mrs Sharma) in this film? Did she come to acceptance by the end?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We are working on other short films about people of color, immigrants in the United States and women who deserve to be seen on screen!

Interview: March 2018

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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LIFE AFTER

While packing up her daughter’s apartment, a single mother discovers startling details about her only child, which challenge her ability to process a recent loss.

Length: 13 minutes

Director: Ria Tobaccowala

Producer: Maria Altamirano

Writer: Ria Tobaccowala

About the writer, director and producer:

Ria Tobaccowala is an Indian-American filmmaker from Chicago. Currently an MFA/MBA grad student at NYU, Ria previously worked at Google. She received her bachelor's degree from Harvard.

Key cast: Vidula Mungekar, Purva Bedi, Allison Byrnes

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists

Social media handles:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmlifeafter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/filmlifeafter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmlifeafter/

Funders: New Hollywood, Indiegogo Campaign

Made in association with: New York University

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Cleveland Film Festival