[00:00:00] Nitin Bajaj

Hey everyone. Welcome to the industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj. And joining me today is Rita Meher. Rita, welcome on the show.

[00:00:08] Rita Meher

Thank you, Nitin, for having me on your show. It’s a pleasure.

[00:00:13] Nitin Bajaj

Great to have you here. Pleasure is all ours. Let’s start with who is Rita?

[00:00:19] Rita Meher

Yeah, Rita is who I am is a cultural entrepreneur, a connector, bridge builder, community organizer, storyteller, film producer, a mom. Yeah.

[00:00:35] Nitin Bajaj

Many roles as one would expect. One of the roles you play is the co founder of tasveer. Tell us what Tasveer is and why did you start it?

[00:00:46] Rita Meher

Tasveer started right after 9/11 and I’m one of the co founders. Right after 9/11 there was a lot of hate and ignorance in the country where brown and people of color were targeted everywhere. My friend Farah and I thought we need to do something and not just sit in silence, we want to do something about it. And we both thought that we should bring. Bring stories that would actually alleviate ignorance and hate and curate dialogues around it. So we started bringing films, one film at a time. We thought film is the best tool to use as a storytelling because it could permeate faster than anything else and reach a wider community.

So we start showing films at a time and one at a time and start inviting our friends and start curating dialogues around it, be it on being a Muslim woman or any LGBTQI topic or immigration or you name it, we showed films on every topic and then we will curate dialogues around it, have a discussion. We believe that stories heal people. And when people come together under one roof, there is a power in itself where they can share ideas and exchange how they’re feeling.

And so we. And that led to founding tasri. We wanted to coin something and Tasveermeans picture in Hindi. So we thought that would be a perfect name for our organization. So we founded, called it Tasvir.

[00:02:28] Nitin Bajaj

Very good. Now in the last 23, 24 odd years, give us a sense of the impact, the reach, any prominent stories that have come along during this time.

[00:02:42] Rita Meher

We feel Tasveer has created a significant impact. The way we could measure it. We feel when we were starting out in 2002 and we started showing films around about LGBTQI topics, on LGBTQI topics back then we would get such pushback and our volunteers will fall out, they won’t follow. They would stop volunteering with us. There would be five or six people in the crowd watching the films. And now it’s changed drastically. There’s people take pride in it.

We just sponsored the desi float at the pride parade yesterday. And we see such a difference how community has come and mobilized from then to now. We do all form of storytelling through our organization. One is called Yoni Ki Baat and it’s the South Asian adaptation of the Vagina Monologues. When we first started out, we would get threat emails like it’s vulgar about talking about sex or vagina or any related topics. And people would attend our shows anonymously. They won’t tell they’re going to see the show.

We did all the survivor stories and we wanted to remove the taboo. Talking about abuse and domestic violence and any sexual related thing from then to now. Seventeen years later, there’s people proudly come out and participate in our storytelling workshops and tell their stories, own their stories before they would do, oh, this is not my story, it’s anonymous, it’s somebody else story they’re telling. But they would now tell their stories proudly. We feel there has been a lot of change due to what we have been doing slowly and steadily for over 23 years. How people talk about different topics, be it about abuse or when going through separation or divorce or all those taboo topics that South Asians mental health that we would start doing. We do mental health storytelling workshops.

Come out and share your stories. And we always provide workshops and experts to help them tell their stories. Yeah, we have been seeing a lot of change over 23 years and we’re very proud of it.

[00:05:19] Nitin Bajaj

It’s fascinating. And you mentioned Yoniki Bath. I know of it because several of my friends have participated, have spoken, have attended. And I know it’s not just it started off in Seattle, I would think, but I heard of it several years ago when it was out in San Diego. So obviously the word has spread, the work you’ve done has spread, and people are more accepting, but also willing to go in and acknowledge that these things do happen to us and to our community, which in many ways having that label of that model minority has maybe done some harm than it has done good. So thank you for doing what you’re doing. And I would love to ask, as you go out and pick up these taboo topics and also face a lot of, I would say, restrictions in general, what’s the one big challenge you would like to call out amongst the many that you face?

[00:06:22] Rita Meher

So since we have been around for 23 years, we feel we have reached a point where we are seen as a national organization. We provide all these services, we provide grants, we provide, our programs are really reached a level that it has to be Held at a certain level. We can’t just do simple work and put together patch up work. So that hasn’t matched with our capacity like financially and resources. Because not that many resources has been funneled into arts organization. And with being also going through Covid on all these different things, arts organizations are always seen as the last thing in the ladder to where the support will come. I wanted to tell you we are also the only Oscar qualifying South Asian film festival in the world.

Which means we are the largest South Asian film festival in the world. And there’s all these eyes are on us. They want us to do it at a certain level, at a certain kind of theaters. They expect all these event management things. So there’s that stress to match up to the expectations of people out there in the community. We started a fund, the Sweet Film Fund a few years ago, which is started out with 5,000 every year we were giving out just one grant, $5,000 and we got 300 requests. Right proposals.

So we said, okay, let’s increase some more. So we would go to two. Then we went to the following year we went to three projects to give it out to. And it’s never enough, which is understandably correct because they need money to make the film. Now we are giving out this year we are going to give out $35,000 per project and we are again increasing it to four projects. But it’s never enough. I wish we could support lot more projects because we are so hugely underrepresented.

There’s a big gap in what’s being funded out there. As a South Asian diaspora, our stories are not being supported or funded as much as other community stories are. We are in the even in the Asian community. We come under 2% in the presentation, in the mainstream. So that kind of indifference still exists. And we have to work at it. Our work is not done.

We have to constantly work at it. How to push our stories to the world’s main stage and keep going. And yeah, I hope that answers the question.

[00:09:15] Nitin Bajaj

It does, yeah. Now on the flip side of challenges come opportunities. What is the one that you’re most excited about?

[00:09:26] Rita Meher

Again, the things I just talked about, that’s actually the most exciting part. I’m just simply excited and happy and grateful every day that we have come this far. Because we see many nonprofit after 7 year or 10 year or 13 years, they fold and start to keep going as an arts organization. So we are simply grateful we are still existing and thriving. Not surviving, but thriving. We launched the market, which we are super excited about. Last year was the first year and we thought, okay, maybe 50 projects will be submitted and all these delegates will come.

We received 300 projects and we showcased 60 projects. We had all these wonderful execs from Amazon, MGM, Netflix, NBC Universal, Can, WME, you name it, from Cannes, from Blumhouse.

They all came. We were ourselves, we were so pleasantly surprised. So it’s like a feather in our cap. We are very proud of it. I think that’s going to go places. It’s just going to grow and we are going to expand boundaries of it, make it Asian film market and then maybe MENA market could also get involved in that. The other thing is film fund.

I not going to stop at 35k. I want to create a 1 million dollar fund for a South Asian film one day and to give it away just like in Tribeca. And also to be the Sundance of the South Asian Film Festival.

That’s my north star. Like we want to be the Sundance. We are doing everything in there and scene like that. But we also provide all the resources and the right support for all our storytellers. And one day they won’t be told, oh, we don’t want a brown lead in your film. One day we’ll say I wish we could put a brown lead so that it could be distributed and all that. So change the narrative on that.

[00:11:35] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. And with the right people at the helm, such as yourself, I see that happening sooner than later. So keep at the gold star.

[00:11:43] Rita Meher

But I forgot the theater, of course. It’s the most exciting thing. So the theater, we acquired a theater, A beautiful historical movie theater in a beautiful art neighborhood in Seattle, 20 minutes out of south of downtown. And actually it’s our King county, the county of Washington state. They saw our work for last 23 years and they supported us with this gift to us. Like they just gifted us on a silver platter. Take this and run with it.

We own it now. And no one, no organization of color even in the Washington state. And I can’t see find anyone in the country who owns a theater. People rent the theater but we actually own it for it’s like concretized for our South Asian community forever.

[00:12:39] Nitin Bajaj

Fascinating.

[00:12:40] Rita Meher

Yeah. When I was in New York, everyone was saying like we feel now we have a home in west coast even though it’s far other side of the country. But we feel we have a home for our stories.

[00:12:51] Nitin Bajaj

Congratulations again. And that’s just fascinating news. And this is just validation of the amazing work you’ve done for the last so many years. So keep at it and as we talk about the future, I love to take a pause and reflect and I would love for you to share two moments from your past where in one case things did not work out as you had expected and there was disappointment, failure, lessons and another instance where things exceeded your own expectations and became a success beyond your imagination.

[00:13:36] Rita Meher

Okay, one thing that didn’t exceed so my expectation. Yeah, I was on my path to become a Japanese translator, worked really hard at it. I studied Japanese in India. Then I went and lived in Japan, had a flourishing career. Then I moved to Seattle and I’m like in the bottom of the system and couldn’t find work and I was a midlife crisis, my marriage broke up and just everything, nothing worked out. And then I yelled on the street, go back to your country.

That’s9/11. But that moment, kind of everything that wasn’t working out is like the moment where I am and I just took that learning. I just now I feel this older myself. I feel proud of myself that I didn’t go the wrong route. Right. Stayed positive and made a good out of it. Made a film on my experience and that set me on the path to become a filmmaker or an editor and then started Tasveer.

So that is my one thing that didn’t work out. And what was the follow up question?

[00:14:59] Nitin Bajaj

The thing that exceeded your expectations?

[00:15:02] Rita Meher

Yeah, then starting something. So in a such a simple way we didn’t plan out and had a like board meeting and like how to start an organization. It was like a sway. Okay, let’s show a film. And all we did is called a place, booked a place and say okay, we are showing a film. What time? Where? And we paid everything out of our own pocket.

There was like not a. We did more action than talking. And it was a very simple plan. Let’s start showing films and start bringing the community together. And had never in my wildest imagination that this would actually I will keep doing for 23 years and forever. And I create so many different initiatives through it and touch so many lives in South Asia or here. Everywhere I go now I find every.

I will find someone who knows Tasveeror shown their film or gotten a funding or I helped them made a film or made a connection. It’s just so heartwarming and humbling.

And I’m myself, I’m like every day. I’ve never felt a day of working for 23 years, never ever felt a day of working. I even shy away saying I’m going to work. I never say that. I say I’M going to theater, I’m going to film center. Yeah. I never feel like I’m working but I work like 12, 13 hours a day sometimes most of the week.

It’s not a show off but yeah.

[00:16:41] Nitin Bajaj

That’S the joy of finding purpose. It doesn’t feel like work and you can just keep going forever.

[00:16:47] Rita Meher

Yeah, it’s so, it’s, it’s. I’m so lucky. So lucky. Yeah.

[00:16:55] Nitin Bajaj

Now talking about not working on the opposite side of it. What do you do for fun?

[00:17:04] Rita Meher

I work a lot. Like tonight I have meetings in India. I do also produce on the side but in my break I’m always watching something like it could be all wide ranges of genre. I watch, you name it, from crime to documentaries. I love and there’s always some Bollywood music playing and that keeps me going. Yeah. And Seattle is beautiful.

I would go for a run or a walk that would be very simple things.

[00:17:45] Nitin Bajaj

I love that. Is there a book or podcast that you would like to recommend to the audience?

[00:17:54] Rita Meher

Podcast? I go through phases right now not listening to anything. Then I would suddenly start listening to mostly trade related like filmmaking and leadership. I listened to a lot like the HBR podcast I when I really loved it. How I built this oh my goodness, I love that podcast. That really helped me with the suite running tasfi but one book I had your question for that and one book I recently read is maybe you should talk to woman is a therapist story. She is a therapist.

How she became a therapist and how she also in a therapy session. So it’s from the both side Laurie Gotcliffe and it’s so interesting and funny and engaging. I couldn’t put down that book. And that also makes me think oh I maybe I should start some therapy. Yeah. It’s a very good book.

I love it.

[00:18:55] Nitin Bajaj

Thank you for sharing those. Now on to my favorite part of the show. We call this the one line life lessons. Rita, I would love for you to share your life lessons with us.

[00:19:05] Rita Meher

Okay. One, don’t wait for others for permission. Build your own table and bring your own chair to it and sit at it. And other is consistency and perseverance is the key to success. Always be one foot after another. Just keep going and be very consistent in your anything you’re building, don’t give up. Always listen more than speak and then in anything relationship is the key.

People think oh you’re organizing an event. It’s about what kind of food you going to provide. No, it’s how they’re going to feel. What would be the experience always focus on the experience, how to make one feel.

[00:20:02] Nitin Bajaj

Rita, thank you so much for making the time for sharing your story, your journey and your life lessons. We really appreciate it. Thank you again for doing all you do, for bringing the community together, for sharing these stories that need to be heard, and for helping people one story at a time.

[00:20:24] Rita Meher

Thank you. Nitin thank you for having me on your show.