Maryam Mir
“ON YOUR RADAR” IS A WEEKLY GRAD FILM NEWS SEGMENT THAT FEATURES A STUDENT PICKED AT RANDOM.
MARYAM MIR IS CURRENTLY A 3RD YEAR STUDENT AT GRAD FILM. WE ASKED HER A FEW QUESTIONS, AND HERE’S WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY:
Where do you consider home and what is it like there?
I grew up in Saar, a small residential town in Bahrain. Everyday, after dinner, my grandfather and I would go for a walk. As I tried to keep up with his brisk pace, stories spilled freely from him: those of our family’s migration, from Kashmir to Kenya to Canada to the Middle East. On those nights, the sky felt closer to the earth, cloudless and vast, a canvas for my imagination. This ritual became my inheritance, the way I absorbed the stories of my ancestors, experiences that shaped me, but were not entirely my own.
I was also born in Germany, where my parents, purveyors of Kashmiri handicrafts, spent days working at carpet exhibitions—my father, the salesman, my mother, the scientist-turned-merchandiser. Here, my brother and I would jump from rug to rug in dusty warehouses, inventing stories in Carpetland to keep each other entertained. As we grew, so did the ways we filled the boredom of hours spent waiting as our parents bargained and bartered.
I sometimes like to think of home as a cozy room in my mind, one lit by a soft, warm lamp, where all my loved ones hang out—my grandfather telling a story, my mother boiling some tea and my brother making a joke only the two of us can understand.
What is currently inspiring you as a filmmaker?
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with images of the ocean, specifically exploring girls’ and women's relationship to water. Some examples: “Finding Freedom in Water” by Anna Boyiazis, “The Sea Within” by Nelson Viji, “Shaabi Beaches” by Roger Anis. Growing up on an island, visiting the beach was our treat—where we would devour smoked & lemony corn on the cob, play cricket on the sand till sunset and sing Bollywood songs around a bonfire. I’m endlessly fascinated by it as a public space.
I’ve also been inspired by learning Urdu. I’m taking online lessons with a teacher in Lucknow, and I recently read my first (very elementary) short story. My mind is so often cluttered with English words, and so when I speak Urdu, it feels like a different door opens in my brain where new possibilities live.
I’m also constantly inspired by stories that mix mediums/forms. Lately, it’s been Safia Elhillo’s novel in verse: Home is Not a Country, Sabba Khan’s graphic memoir: The Roles We Play, and the animated documentary: Flee.
What has been your most rewarding experience at NYU Tisch Grad Film so far?
The creative collaborations with some of the most brilliant and big-hearted people. Witnessing my classmates' unique voices emerge and evolve from project to project. I guess just how much learning filmmaking has taught me about life: being present, trusting my intuition and offering grace to myself and others.
Check out her website and Instagram.