Diwaloween

Director statement: Growing up between Asia and North America, I’ve faced crippling cultural confusion at every turn and as a result, I’ve always been drawn to stories about the struggles of assimilation. Stories that explore the challenges of figuring out which parts of the culture your mother raised you with to keep and which parts to let go of to either ‘fit in’ or because they don’t resonate with you as an adult or simply out of convenience. With ‘Diwaloween’, I wanted to tell this story from the point of view of the mother. I wanted to explore her struggle to hold on to traditions when those of a dominant culture literally come knocking at her door expecting Halloween candy. ‘Diwaloween’ is ultimately hopeful. It envisages a world (which I think we are getting closer too) where assimilation is a gentler process, where ‘fitting in’ also includes a deep respect of the traditions you were raised with from the other side. I had a blast making this and the only thing more fun than writing characters like Maya is seeing them to come to life. I was blessed to have the great Daisy Irani in my corner to play Maya. Daisy is a legend of the stage and screen in Singapore. She was a regular on the TV comedy show ‘Living with Lydia’ with renowned Hong Kong actress Lydia Shum. She is also the winner of the Theatre of Life Award. I’m so thrilled an audience will get to see her performance in this! The short was produced by Kamil Haque with support from Method Productions and Haque Centre of Creativity and Acting.