Cultural expression or stereotyping? Winnipeg filmmaker confronts the stereotypes featured in his own work

This column is an opinion by Wasif Haseeb, a filmmaker in Winnipeg who created ashort film, above, about his search forthe middle ground where art and his own cultural identity can exist in harmony.For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

Through 15 years of independent filmmaking, I've tackled comedy, drama, horror and science fiction, but rarely have I infused my cultural identity into my films.

As a South Asian Canadian filmmaker, do my films have to reflect my cultural identity?

This is a question I have grappled with.

I do embrace my South Asian heritage on a daily basis in other ways. I own way too many Indian clothes, have been to India several times, speak Hindi fluentlyand myriad other things that would be seen as quote-unquote "typically Indian."

However, I've never been able to blend my passion for filmmaking with my culture. So when it came to creating a film that tackled South Asian identity, I really had to unpack my own relationship with my cultural identity.

My filmmaking journey began at the age of 10 after I realized I could use the webcam my parents bought to chat with relatives in India, to easily shoot and edit videos on our home computer.

From there, shooting video became a near-daily occurrence. Any time a friend came over the first question I'd ask was, "Hey, do you want to film something?"

It felt like most of these South Asian creators were just playing up certain cultural stereotypes.- Wasif Haseeb

Not long after, I upgraded to the family Handycam, which was bought with the intention of documenting our upcoming trip to India. I co-opted the camera to make comedy skits for YouTube.

Fast forward to today, where at the age of 27, I'm realizing the true impact that I can have through my films.

Growing up, there was a hard line between the Bollywood movies my parents would watch and the North American media I was consuming. It was hard to find relatable voices from the South Asian diaspora until YouTube came around.

On YouTube, I finally saw other people who shared my cultural background making content though it felt like most of these South Asian creators were just playing up certain cultural stereotypes.

As a high school student making my own videos, I initially followed that formula of playing up stereotypes. ButI soon felt a major disconnect between me and my content. The content I made reflected what I thought people wanted to see instead of what I actually wanted to create.

I was also seeing those same cultural stereotypes represented in mainstream media, which ultimately drove me to avoid the topic of South Asian identity altogether in my films. It felt like if I wasn't making a joke at the expense of my background, people weren't interested.

It's weird, though. This representation of identity, however it came across or if it was unintentionally playing to cultural stereotypes, actually exposed more people to South Asian stories. Audiences were seeing South Asian representation in more content, and that was a good thing, right?

Representation in media

Today, the push for representation in the media has grown significantly. From social media to movies and TV, we're seeing a wide variety of representations on screen and behind the camera. We still have a lot of room to grow.

Everyone's story is different, whether their ancestors were from South Asia, their parents immigrated hereor they immigrated here themselves. I often find common ground with other South Asian Canadians, no matter how they got here.

For the longest time I avoided touching the subject of South Asian identity in my films, but I've realized there's room to tell stories that go beyond stereotypes.

And this question of identity in art goes beyond the South Asian experience.

Ultimately, my voice matters, and I should be using it to make the films I want to make.- Wasif Haseeb

There is room to tell all kinds of stories, by all kinds of creatives, whatever their background. We all have a point of view, a lens which we use to tell stories.

We are not beholden to tell a particular kind of story.

The only promise we should make?Tell great stories.

I'm making another promise to myself too.

I'm not going to box myself in or feel pressure to represent every South Asian person through the films I make.

I'm also not going to be scared to tell authentic stories about my culture.

Ultimately, my voice matters, and I should be using it to make the films I want to make.

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