Welcome to THE LEAK (2022)!
Official page: The Leak (2022) | CMCS (cmc-centre.com)
From the Medium:https://medium.com/@cmcs/the-leak-2022-can-we-bring-bipoc-women-to-the-forefront-of-the-screen- a95494d2ca96
They started dating based on lies, but they liked each other even more when they found out.
That’s the synopsis of the independent short film, THE LEAK (2022) — a romantic comedy with a few twists!
In this film, I play the role of Mona, who is stressed and in a hurry. What is she running away from? She is a lawyer with a secret. The director and my co-writer, Louis Massey, plays out the character of Richard, who is out of his game and appears suspicious. In the film, he is a plumber who is not who he claims to be.
In THE LEAK, the protagonists Mona and Richard connect under a pretense over an interracial romantic date. The truth of their lie could make or break their relationship. When they find out the truth, they immediately come to an understanding. Instead of letting differences trigger conflict and the need for resolution, they are more accepting of each other in a conflicting situation.
But there is still inequality. As a South Asian woman that overcame sexist experiences in patriarchy, I observed more social twists in viewership after the film’s release.
While the film raises social awareness on dating and gender equality, the viewership statistics show that 70% of men only viewed the first minute of the film. Coincidentally, the first minute displays my creative agency and choice of wearing nylon stockings & undergarments. The dominance of the male gaze in this segment, as opposed to women’s appreciation for the entire film, shows that the battle against cultural taboos about female sexuality and double standards is far from over.
It makes me wonder: are women in silence or do they not have equal access in society with structural inequalities? Can we bring BIPOC women to the forefront of the screen?
Representation matters and visibility is critical for amplifying diverse and marginalized women and men.
So, in the past, I have addressed social discrimination, violence, and ethics in celebrity culture on various international media, including CBC National News, Global News, The Telegraph, and Feminism in India, among many more (links on www.samitanandy.com). However, I feel that feminist experiences around clothing, age, body positivity, interracial relations, and sexual diversity need to be continued for the success and prosperity of many survivors and visionaries.
Cultural critic and adjunct faculty Dr Nidhi Shrivastava adds that this “new film makes a contribution to BIPOC women in films and journalism, who continue to be underrepresented in North America.” Follow her Twitter @shnidhi for more feminist views in the literary and cinematic landscape.
The director, writer, and actor of the film, Louis Massey points out the additional social significance. He states, “THE LEAK was created during the Covid-19 lockdown. As a filmmaker, I aim to be playful, non-conformist, and minimalist. This minimalist approach means I limit resource usage and try to deviate from the standard narratives and structures. For example, I shoot my films on my smartphone and limit shoots to three takes. THE LEAK had full creative agency from co-writer Samita Nandy.”
While most fairy tales show how couples need to engage in a perfect conflict or play perfect roles, the characters engage in an imperfect way to win the trust and fight gender roles in relationships, bringing a narrative shift in Hollywood and Bollywood romantic comedies. THE LEAK advocates for being diverse and authentic even if it is imperfect. The truth of perfect white-collar jobs in the film is an accidental irony. The rise of fake news, divorces, and mental health issues during the pandemic makes the film both urgent and entertaining. The film also addresses broader social issues of capitalism in which the truth of marginalized people is often challenged in favor of profit and abuse. THE LEAK uses humor as a narrative device to dissolve conflict and aims to bring healing to all gender roles and ethnicities during times of distress.
Watch the THE LEAK here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2FY8sdQKU&t=24s
Biography
Samita Nandy — Writer & Cast
Samita Nandy is the Founder of the Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS), Director of the Wall of Fame Film Festival, and an actress trained from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (Los Angeles). She holds a Doctorate in celebrity culture from the Department of Media & Information at Curtin University, Australia, and is a certified broadcast journalist from Canada. Samita Nandy is the first celebrity scholar in the tabloid press and has been publicized in a wide range of media, including CBC National News, CBC Entertainment News, The Telegraph, VICE, Flare, Chatelaine, SUN Media, 24 Hrs, and Yahoo! Entertainment.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9349098/
Louis Massey — Director, Writer and Cast
Louis Massey is an independent artist and writer. He holds a Ph.D. in Software Engineering and is a former professor of Computer Science at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Born in Montreal, he is the author of several articles and book chapters on artificial intelligence and mental information processing. On the fiction side, Massey has written poetry and short stories. He published “The River: Car ton bras sait porter l’épée” in Canadian Voices Volume 2. As a visual artist, he specializes in photography and oil and acrylic painting. He exhibited at Gallery 22 in Kingston and was a finalist for the Salon Prize 2012. In independent cinema, he created five short films: The Leak, The Laundry Room, The Pink Code — An Adaptation, Life in a Low Light, Gone, and Smiling Rain in Lisbon and Toronto.
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