Interview with young filmaker Maya Peters

Welcome Mrs Peters, we are very excited to have you today and discuss about your work. Who is Maya Peters and how did the passion for filmmaking start ?

I am a 21-year-old Irish-Indonesian filmmaker from London. It sounds like a mouthful but being a multi-racial person and having lived in many different places encouraged me to investigate the human experience with wondrous eyes. When I was a teenager I decided to tell stories that reflect the complexity of human experience through my art and film felt like the right way to do it. I come from an arts background and have been painting, sketching, and sculpting since I came out of the womb. Naturally, I have a huge inclination towards the artistic and visual side of filmmaking - I like to see how far I can push its boundaries. As such, I am always seeking new ways to express myself and I am constantly experimenting with different forms of expression and mediums within my films. It's an ongoing journey, but it is a rewarding one that allows me to be constantly evolving as an artist.

Can you tell us about your previous work?

In a similar vein to Teddy Hugger, a recent film I made, Convergence, went to festivals last year and performed pretty well. It is a very different film but it is also largely experimental, no dialogue, and relies heavily on movement, music, and symbolism to convey its emotional meaning. I co-directed the film with a fellow trusted creator, Anahita Von Andrian-Werburg, and Convergence was certainly a brainchild for the both of us exploring the emotional cycle of human relationship in both its death and rebirth. It was a highly collaborative project overall, and everyone on the creative team had a heavy hand in shaping the output of the film in lieu of how they personally connected with the film's themes.

CONVERSATION ABOUT: TEDDY HUGGER

What would you describe as your directing identity style ?

I have a very genre-bending and artistically intersectional approach. Similarly, a lot of my work contains some process of transformation; of body, soul, and mind. After all, we are constantly transforming - humans aren’t stagnant beings. But I digress. I believe that art should be free to explore and push boundaries, without the constraints of traditional labels or conventions. My goal is to create films that are not just visually and sonically pleasing, but also thought-provoking and impactful. I want to inspire others to think differently and to challenge their own preconceptions about what a film can be.

Talk to us about your film? How was it created and what inspired it?

Teddy Hugger and the people that worked on it have a special place in my heart. I came to the idea back when I was following the thread of why I had a such overactive imagination as a child. This curiosity brewed further curiosities into the rich inner life of our childhood nostalgia and how having an imaginary friend seems to be a universal experience. I look back fondly on films like Narnia or Coraline that exhibit escapist nature, using the mental differences between childhood and adulthood as a source of tension. It took a lot of sitting down with my thoughts and countless notebook scribbles to deconstruct the elements I wanted to include in the story. It was a conception that certainly relied on an internal to external-process. After that, everything flowed easily and organically came together. Finding actors/dancers and a creative crew that can relate to the story is very important to me. My work is very emotionally involved so it was very fulfilling and productive to be working with people who were willing to engage in that energy. I am especially grateful to Maddy Jakes and Harrison Yu, my main actors, who built the story with me.

Is the scenario important to you on a personal level ?

Absolutely, it was a very personal project. When I was a kid, my parents’ fights could suck all the oxygen out of the room. The more they shouted and screamed, the more I withdrew and turned to my own make-believe worlds. I created characters and wondrous stories - it's how kids cope. While my own childhood is one example, I believe that children are natural creators and are able to push the boundaries of reality in a delightful way - an ability most of us lose by the time we are adolescents. 

Is there any hidden symbolism in your project ? We noticed ''Teddy'' gave a ribbon to our protagonist ?

The magical landscape that Teddy Hugger is set in is the young girl's mindscape. Everything pictured there is a doing of her creative mind and for a reason. When she first enters the world, she doesn’t yet have control over her fears, a tea party table appears so she can distract herself from her dark reality while playing games with Teddy. However, this tactic can’t stop reality from bleeding through hence the picture and Teddy disappearing. While Teddy is inanimate in reality he possesses real strength. I really do think there is great strength in the make-belief being a real power. The ribbon is a form of this power, it's Teddy’s reminder for our young protagonist to remember the strength of her own mind yet subversively it's her own reminder for herself because she created Teddy. Teddy’s protection and guidance is a projection of her own. 

FUTURE WORK AND CLOSING LETTER

What is the message the audience should convey leaving the screening of your film ?

We often overlook and play down painful experiences from our childhood. My hope is for this film to encourage viewers to reflect on and heal their inner child, just as it did for me. Through Teddy Hugger, I want to remind people of the importance of imagination in our lives, how it has always been there, and how it can be a powerful tool for self-understanding and self-discovery.

What is the target audience of your project ?

I think the film can be enchanting to all, however, despite the exploration of childhood themes, it is definitely meant to be watched by adults. After all, it's a hindsight take on childhood trauma. I think the film resonates the most with people who have experienced early independence, heartbreak within the home, or those who feel inclined to turn to themselves for comfort. 

Any future projects incoming ? Along with personal aspirations.

My upcoming moonshot passion project is another short film set to shoot in mid-April. The working title is Finding The Snooter Witch and it's an unlikely duo story about a kid and a cop investigating New York City for a lost pet dragon. This one will certainly be more narrative-orientated and will showcase the dynamics between two very different New Yorkers learning to trust each other throughout a magical surrealist journey. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we will be dipping our feet into some comedy, drama, and even some horror elements. That’s all I can say on it for now but along the way, I will be engaging with a handful of fashion, commercial, and music projects as well. Ultimately, I am going to continue to create work that transports the audience to otherworldly realms and makes them question their own reality in everything I do. If you want to stay updated on what I am doing you can find me on Instagram @nastymarzuki.

That was the interview with our beloved creator Maya Peters. Our community is rising everyday, new talented filmakers and screenwriters get onboard. Be sure to check the rest of our interviews and why not schedule one for yourself to promote your work. To publish an interview simply submit on the INTERVIEW OF YOUR FILM category on our Filmfreeway page.