Welcome to the The Hot Seat.
Every month we will feature a filmmaker who is redefining West Coast filmmaking. It's time we start shining that ever elusive spotlight onto those in our community who are at the forefront of the BC Indie Revolution.
Each featured filmmaker will answer the same 10 questions, giving insight into their minds, inspirations, aspirations and dreams. The first five questions are rapid fire. Quick. Juicy. Intriguing. The last 5 are more profound, insightful, all about filmmaking.
This month, we're inviting the producing legend Mariam Barry to brave the Hot Seat. Let's dive in!
Mariam Barry is a biracial Afro-Norwegian filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. Originally from Norway, she is a two-time recipient of the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Fellowship and an alumni of the VIFF Catalyst program for up and coming filmmakers. Mariam is the lead producer of the Telefilm Talent to Watch feature "Hair or No Hair" and is a tapped talent for the Black Screen Office's Directors Accelerator Program in collaboration with the Directors Guild of Canada. As a program recipient, Mariam has been a directing apprentice on Billion Dollar Bluff (TUBI), Wildcards (CBC & CW) as well as Percy Jackson (Disney). As a director, her short film YAYE won a Best in BC award at GemFest.
Hi Mariam!
1. What is the first film you can remember having an effect on you?
Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. I remember watching the film for the first time in middle school and being transported by the storytelling. I'll never forget when I got so scared of No-Face that I reached for my friend's hand - only to accidentally hold hands for a moment with a boy in my class instead as my friend had switched spots (but wait, he´s kinda cute?!).
So the film sparked a real life meet-cute that made me an immediate Studio Ghibli fan.
2. If you could work with one filmmaker, dead or alive, who would it be?
The first two names that come to mind are Ryan Coogler and Amanda Strong. What I love about both artists is that they push the boundaries of cinema through their work while championing their communities. Both directors tell powerful stories through stunning images that stay with me long after the credits. To me this moves them beyond filmmakers to cultural architects as their work shifts the room.
3. What is your biggest passion outside of being a filmmaker?
I love to travel. Nothing makes me happier than seeing our world.
4. What are you working on now?
HONH Crew
I just wrapped on our Telefilm Talent to Watch feature “Hair or No Hair”. The project is written and directed by Janessa St Pierre (the it girl!), and produced by Mimi Dejene and myself. We assembled an incredible team of local filmmakers to bring this story to life and I´m still basking in all the memories we made together. I met so many new creative people in this process who I hope to work with again and again. Shout out to Leo, Matt, Moh, Ivanna, our G/LX crew and every single volunteer who came out to support us. It truly takes a village to make a movie and our village was a vibe!
5. Creatively, what inspires you to continue your journey in filmmaking?
I believe storytelling is a part of my purpose and that North star is what guides me.
6. Who are your frequent collaborators and what do they bring to your projects?
Carlo Fortin and David Markwei are my OG collaborators. What I admire about both of them is that they have a wide creative range - that´s their gift. I´ve worked with them predominantly as cinematographers, but they are both multi-hyphenate creatives with a practice that includes acting, directing, editing, and photography. I cannot recommend them enough as incredible people with heaps of talent.
I'm also overjoyed to have collaborated with Mimi Dejene on a few projects now (who is amazing! I could sing her praises to the moon), alongside Ivanna Samuel, Ilhan Abdullahi, Lorna Kidjo and now Janessa st Pierre. The friendships we are building is what I honour the most and the emergence of a strong Black female filmmaking community in our city is everything.
7. What is the most rewarding part about being a BC filmmaker? What is the most challenging?
What I love about BC filmmaking is our community. There are such talented, kind and passionate people in our city making art.
8. As a filmmaker, how do you measure success?
Success is in the journey. Finishing the script is success, trying is success, and putting your work out there makes you a baller. Once I started seeing filmmaking as a practice I return to, instead of a career I had to prove myself in, doors began to open as I found the joy in filmmaking again.
When doors of opportunity open, I think true success is found in how many voices you usher in with you. Success becomes the people you share it with and the communities of filmmakers you brought along with you for the victory lap. Film is a team sport so the reward is in the relationships you nurture along the way, the people you pour into, and the integrity you embody in the process.