An interview with ASIS SETHI, director of “A Bloody Mess”

An interview with ASIS SETHI, director of “A Bloody Mess”


Asis Sethi

 

“Cinema is a powerful medium which fuses art and passion into important and necessary dialogue. It has the ability to transcend borders, cultures and identities to bring everyone together and bring change into society.”

 

A positive and energetic television personality, Asis Sethi started her career as a Reporter and Host and soon became a Freelance Producer on Canada’s national television station OMNI TV. Asis has directed, written, and produced many independent projects including ‘The Colourful Crown’, a documentary film based on the effects of 9/11 on turban wearers in Canada, which was screened at film festivals and aired on OMNI Television nationally. Asis is also the writer and director of the 16-episode documentary series titled ‘Darshan Dekh Jeeva’, in which she traveled all over India and explored historical Sikh shrines. The documentary is currently airing nationally on OMNI. Asis’s most recent work includes producing and directing a three episode television show for Scotiabank and OMNI TV titled ‘Welcome To Canada’ which highlighted real life stories told by immigrants of Canada. Asis is also a proud recipient of the Phulkari Award.
Asis has worked with renowned entertainers like Mike Myers (Austin Powers, Shrek), Nelly Furtado (Singer Songwriter) and Mike Holmes (Holmes on Homes, Corner Gas).
Asis’s films have a focus towards important community issues that promote a cross-cultural understanding. Most recently, her films have focused on topics relating to social issues that surround women and they delve deep into the cultural complexities of how these issues impact our daily lives. Asis is currently in post production for her upcoming short film titled ‘Still’ and is in the development stage for her upcoming feature film on the topic of reversed gender roles in the South Asian community.
FILMOGRAPHY:
Still (Short Film) – 2020
A Bloody Mess (Short Film) – 2019
Welcome to Canada (TV Series) – 2018
Darshan Dekh Jeeva (16 episode Documentary) – 2012
The Colourful Crown (Documentary) – 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– Cinema and society are experiencing a period of profound renewal, and women, with great courage, have been able to still affirm a civil and necessary gender equality. As a woman and director, do you feel part of a community? Do you think the fight against hypocrisy is still far from over?

The biggest problem today is still that we are relying on female perspectives to be told from a male lens. What I mean is this: so many technical aspects of filmmaking are still being handled by males. As educated and informed and sensitive males can be, females need to use their own voices to speak out. While I feel a part of a small community of filmmakers, I do not believe we are where we could be. More women need to support each other. Festivals and programmers need to be more courageous with promoting commentary that advances the narrative of a female director, however controversial her messaging may be. After all, one of the most celebrated films of the past year, Joker, had the most iconic yet damaged male character blow everyone’s minds. I still question whether we would have the same response if the same character was a female.

 

Having said that, males within cinema are more at liberty to be flexible with their schedules, even if they have children at home. Women, regardless of where we are in time right now, are just not. So, we need to encourage more female filmmakers to come into this line of work, working with flexible work schedules and our own voices, to bring about a change so that ten or twenty years from now, we will all just be filmmakers in our own rights.