 |
Paramita Nath is the screenwriter, co-producer, editor, and director of the short film Found: The Poetry of Souvankham Thammavongsa. She grew up in Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya in India’s northeast. She came to Canada in 1996 to study music at Memorial University in Newfoundland; however, her interest in the arts stretched beyond music. Nath is a quintuple threat. After finishing her bachelor’s degree, she moved to Toronto, where her journey to discover the boundaries that connect and separate different art forms began. She explored modern dance, choreography, visual arts, and film, eventually earning an MA in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at York University. During her graduate work, Nath created her first documentary film called Journey into the Creative Process. Found: The Poetry of Souvankham Thammavongsa is her debut short film. She is now based out of Toronto.
Found: The Poetry of Souvankham Thammavongsa is a film about a poet and her journey to discover herself and her heritage. Her poetry is inspired by the salvaged scrapbook of her father’s stay in a Laotian refugee camp. |
1. With your diverse background in many different art mediums, what attracted you to filmmaking?
Filmmaking is a genre that allows room for multiple art forms... the visual aspect, sound, music, storytelling and also requires one to think in a way that integrates all of these elements seamlessly. For example, knowledge of rhythm can go a long way in editing.
...
2. How have your experiences in other art forms influenced your filmmaking, particularly with Found: The Poetry of Souvankham Thammavongsa?
It is difficult to really find a distinct line that defines what and where these influences begin and end, but perhaps in Found, I had the opportunity to play with the genre of poetry and find a way to present it visually. The rhythm stems from that, the space stems from that and, of course, I edited the film with temp music so there's definitely that influence too. I've had several people come to me and say that Found felt like a poem to them... This is a great compliment.
...
3. Who were your idols growing up, whether it be film-related or not, and why?
To be honest, I've never really "idolized" anybody. I've always been suspicious about that notion and people who "idolize" anybody. To me, it meant that people were willing to see somebody as perfect, which I felt a person could never be. Of course I had mentors who inspired and challenged me and who would give me that extra energy to keep doing what I wanted to do. But most of all, I would fall in love with particular aspects of a character, or specific pieces of music and have imaginary conversations and arguments with the composers; I loved being left alone with my paint box and was fascinated by science, especially physics! I guess I was a strange kid.
...
4. Which aspects of your environment (i.e. where you were born and raised, your home life) had a significant impact on your perspectives - ultimately revealing itself in your work?
I think that moving to Canada changed a lot of things for me. For the first time, I was in a place alone, without my family or friends and had to start from scratch. For the first time, I began thinking about where I come from and then tried to understand what parts of my personality/perspective had to do with the fact that I grew up in India and what was because it was uniquely a part of who I am. Those boundaries are blurry and are shaped by the experiences in our lives. This experience has made me very interested in and curious about people; in finding out the nuances in their lives, their thought process and the fascinating journeys that one goes through in a lifetime.
...
5. Can you give us a quick synopsis of your film that's part this year's Asian Heritage Month tour?
Found is an impressionistic film that tells the story of Toronto poet Souvankham Thammavongsa, whose parents lived in a Lao refugee camp in Thailand, where she was born. This story of survival begins when Thammavongsa discovers her father's discarded scrapbook that documents the family's escape from Laos in the 1970s.
...
6. What were your goal(s) in making this film? What kind of message(s) do you want to send to your viewers?
In making Found, my goal was to celebrate Souvankham Thammavongsa's incredible poetry and the story of her journey and to be able to present it in the most respectful way. Her poems stand strong on their own, so it was really frightening for me to take them and say that it had to also be a film.
To be honest, while I was making the film, I wasn't really thinking about what kind of message it would send to viewers; but now, I hope that when one sees the film, it will make them connect to Souvankham's story and be inspired by her strength.
...
7. What was your driving force, your passion and/or inspiration behind making this film? Does it represent or relate to a certain time in your personal life? If so, how?
The first thing was Souvankham's beautiful poetry. But I've also known her personally for quite a number of years and, throughout that time, what struck me was Souvankham’s sense of dignity and strength. Having gone through what she has, not once did she portray herself as a victim. Not once have I heard her complain or use her immigrant experience as an excuse to garner sympathy. Instead, she exudes an inner strength and, most of all, grace. Personally, I had gone through some difficult times as an immigrant here in Canada and felt weighed down by it. Souvankham's story was inspiring to me because it showed what's possible...
...
8. If there was anything you could do differently on your next film, what would it be?
I don't really think like that, perhaps I should?! I guess each film has its own set of demands and I hope that I'll be able to give them what they need.
...
9. What is the most challenging aspect about the film industry?
I think filmmaking is one of the only art forms that is so heavily dependent on money. In order to get to those precious little moments when you're actually shooting or editing, you have to first go through endless months of paperwork, pitching, meetings and "selling" your idea in order to finance the film. Andrei Tarkovsky, who was one of the greatest Russian filmmakers, only made seven films in his lifetime. A big part is due to the fact that, as he has expressed so clearly, he simply hated having to deal with the Soviet government in trying to finance the films and also have creative control.
...
10. What advice would you give prospective filmmakers out there?
If you have a story to tell and want to make a film, do it. You'll learn everything you need to know along the way.
...
By Linda Chan for Schema Magazine.
