Garden State Film Festival 2020 – Air Show
Reeling from loss, a refugee father and daughter arrive in Canada, greeted by the raucous noise of the National Air Show. Pushed to relive the trauma of their past, they struggle to find meaning in this longstanding military tradition.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Maya Bastian
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I live in a densely populated city with over 50,000 refugees. Every year we host a national air show which flies F16 bombers directly over the city. After coming back from working in a conflict zone, I started to think about how immigrants and refugees might be affected by having bombers flying over their heads for entertainment when the very same planes have flown over their homeland and are used as killing machines. I started to do some research on the subject and found that many, many people experience PTSD symptoms during the air show. Refugees and migrants, but also children and adults with behavioural conditions such as autism, army veterans and more. I wanted to make a film that highlights an alternative view of this longstanding military tradition. I hope it calls into question the way that our ethnic landscape is changing and how our cultural traditions may have to change along with it.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It was important to me to create a sense of lived experience for viewers of this film. This is why the actors are all real refugees who have experienced aerial bombing. We also chose to shoot the film during the Canadian National Air Show. In this way, the emotions you see during the film are quite real. Audiences should watch this film because it may give you a new perspective on the trauma that refugees experience. In these divisive times, I think it's important that we expand our social sphere to understand what others have gone through. Not everyone agrees with the perspective that I am presenting, and that's ok. What's important is that it generates conversation.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
My goal with all of my work is to highlight the universality of experience. I want my stories to engender a deep sense of empathy with the viewer, enough for them to see and understand that another's experience is similar to their own. In this way, I often try to highlight the every day experiences of someone who lives with PTSD. The characters in the film are refugees who have experienced severe trauma. The film shows a day in their life, going to the food bank, brushing their teeth, interacting with people on the street. These simple daily tasks become triggers that open a window to the death and destruction they have faced. By tying their trauma to daily experiences, I hope I can break open the personal and universal themes that lie underneath what we view as our 'differences'.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I did a lot of research while writing the script. I interviewed refugee counsellors as well as refugees from various countries. I spoke to politicians and PTSD experts. Authenticity was extremely important to me. Once I found the two main characters, the narrative really opened up. This real-life father and daughter duo were truly amazing. I spent time at their home with the family talking about their experiences of aerial bombardment. Learning what it felt like inside of a bomb shelter. This informed my writing but also the way in which I directed the actors. We started on a very small budget but as I started to speak to people about my vision, more and more crew jumped on board. It felt like something a lot of people wanted to get behind. And as we got into post-production, I can tell you that the film took on a life of its own. What started as a straight narrative became much more of a visceral experience when we put it together. All of the elements, from the sound design to the music and beyond created a film that is to me a sensory experience.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been intense. Even before we started filming, newspapers and radio programs were picking up the story. The country had a lot to say about this topic, both for and against the air show. I went on live talk shows and the filming itself got covered by national news. It seemed to hit a nerve within the public. I had many emails of support and encouragement but also received hate mail and even a death threat! I think the topic of refugees alone is divisive...but when you add in a longstanding military tradition, it became extremely volatile.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I did not expect this level of feedback. But I'm certainly glad that I could help open up a dialogue. I was surprised at the racism I faced. I had people telling me to 'go back home' if I didn't like the air show. I was born here! This really highlighted the issue, as the colour of my skin was dictating me as a foreigner to some people. I never realized the vehemence to which some people would go to support the military. Interestingly, I had the chance to attend a remembrance ceremony right around the time the film began screening. I had previously been vocally anti-military but being at this ceremony with all the army veterans made me see and understand why our country was so quick to protect its military traditions. I started to see both sides more clearly, which I think has made me a better filmmaker.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Press coverage of stories such as this is so important to the life they take on. I want this film to be seen and programmed everywhere. I would like the issues it presents to be up for discussion and for more people to talk about and think about issues facing refugees and immigrants.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
At this point, I would welcome journalists to cover the topic and film festival directors to program the film. We are looking for an international distributor of the film as well.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I really would like to have this issue highlighted far and wide. I think having honest and open discussions about our changing cultural landscape can help open people's minds and hearts towards refugees and immigrants. It's definitely needed in the times we live in.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we address the needs of our changing cultural landscape? Are air shows and military displays really necessary?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
My short drama Tigress is in post-production now. It looks at militant rebellions and the ways in which we rebel. I'm also in development on a feature horror set in the jungles of post-war Sri Lanka.
Interview: March 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, 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
Air Show
Reeling from loss, a refugee father and daughter arrive in Canada, greeted by the raucous noise of the National Air Show. Pushed to relive the trauma of their past, they struggle to find meaning in this longstanding military tradition.
Length: 7:55
Director: Maya Bastian
Producer: Maya Bastian
Writer: Maya Bastian
About the writer, director and producer:
MAYA BASTIAN is a Tamil-Canadian filmmaker and artist. Her work has been shown in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, UK, South Asia and across Canada. She has won awards and received extensive press in Canada for her short films which explore conflict and justice as they relate to community and culture. Currently, on residency in Palestine, she has spent several years traveling the world as an investigative video journalist, documenting areas of conflict and post-conflict. As a writer, Maya Bastian's work frequently explores post-conflict reconciliation and intergenerational trauma. She is the recipient of the 2017 Al Magee Diverse Screenwriter Mentorship and a 2017 Reelworld Emerging 20 fellow. Her writing has appeared in Huffington Post, Elite Daily, Commonwealth Writers, Bitch Flicks and Her Magazine. She is currently developing the script for her feature film debut, which takes place in the jungles of post-conflict Sri Lanka.
Key cast: Katsura Bourassa, Akarra Bourassa
Looking for: journalists, distributors
Facebook: Maya Bastian
Twitter: @MayaBasti
Instagram: @mayabasti
Hashtags used: #airshow, #refugeerightsarehumanrights
Website: www.mayabastian.com
Other: Vimeo
Made in association with: Lumi Creative Studios/ Sterling Studios
Funders: Self-Funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Airing on CBC Gem