5 Major Influences from Nisha Pahuja
The World Before Her's last scheduled screening at TFF.
1 I have been inspired by countless people--writers, filmmakers, photographers, and activists, but it was the years at university studying literature that had the most impact. Those were formative days when Walt Whitman and T.S. Eliot and James Joyce showed me that there was real value in story telling and perhaps the South Asian community could cope with having one less doctor among its ranks. 2. I love the visions of Isabel Coixet, Fernando Meirelles and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. For some time I was also a big fan of Wong Kar-wai but these days I crave more narrative driven films. All of these filmmakers create richly textured worlds and are so visually beautiful. I find also that each one has a very feminine and sensual way of storytelling—something I feel I have in me but have not really explored. Next film. 3. There are many, many excellent documentaries but the one that most stands out for me is The 3 Rooms of Melancholia. I remember watching it at IDFA a few years ago—I was jet lagged and I think it was about three hours long but I was rapt. The filmmaker’s attention to detail and imagery, and her complete trust in the visuals to tell the story were a real lesson in filmmaking. I felt like I was watching an epic feature film. Director Pirjo Honkasalo is someone whose vision and craft I deeply admire. Her film was political and about injustice but it transcended those categories and became something much deeper. When you see a film like that, you know the filmmaker has herself been on a journey and emerged with a profound understanding of the world. I watched that film knowing I was in the hands of someone much wiser than myself. 4. All of us have teachers in our lives, those whose shoulders we stand on. For me, I had the good fortune to spend many years working with two of Canada’s top documentary filmmakers—John Walker and Ali Kazimi. From them I learned both tenacity and the importance of giving as much of yourself to your subjects as you expect them to give to you. I know their advice is the reason I’m able to forge strong relationships with the people in my films. My other great teacher is my editor Dave Kazala. As much as possible I try to include him in the filmmaking process from the very beginning. His insights and ability to see the big picture always inform what I shoot. Working with him is always a true collaboration. 5. While making The World Before Her the person who most inspired me was my mother. I know how difficult being a woman has been for her. Over the years she’s managed to carve a new path for herself. She’s taught me that sometimes what we think we’ve lost, if viewed through a different lens, can actually be something we’ve gained.
