5 Questions with Amitabh Joshi (Tabha) ("Your Hands in My Hair")

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

My work deals with the idea of home and feeling a sense of disconnection. I was born in Nepal and raised in the US. I also spent several years living in Yemen when I was very young. I started working in documentary filmmaking about nine years ago. I directed a feature-length doc in Upper Mustang Nepal about an environmental activist building a makeshift wind turbine to electrify his village in a remote part of Nepal. Developing that film allowed me to explore Nepal and to better understand a country that I love very much, but I didn't have the experience of actually growing up there. Over the past few years, I've developed more narrative work that looks at my experience growing up as Nepali-American. I work closely with my filmmaking collaborator and producer Erik Spink, and we run a production company called Vacant Light.

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

The idea stems from my mom cutting my hair in our living room apartment when I was a kid. It was an uncomfortable experience then. I have vivid images of how she used to put newspaper on the ground. Bright sunlight streaming in from the window. I have an overall sense of nostalgia about the experience. I was working on a previous film with the lead actor, Satya Shaw, who plays Nitin in 'Your Hands in My Hair' when his mom mentioned his reluctance to cut his shoulder-length hair. That's when I started developing the concept for the film. In Nepal and South Asia in general, hair has significance in spirituality and religion, but I wanted the significance of his hair to be more personal. I wanted it to be something that was between him and his mom. So, when Nitin is cutting away his hair, he's not only cutting a connection back to Nepal but also his mother.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?

I wanted more of Riya's (the mom) perspective as she watches her son change through this experience. I don't think I found the correct balance. Right now, she seems very peripheral, only showing up to disrupt his plans. I think that was difficult for me to figure out both in the script and while shooting. We shot the film on 16mm, not just for the aesthetic, but because I think in many ways shooting on film actually simplifies the process. The vision of the frame remained between the DP and I, and streamlined our process.

4) What's a film you've seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I recently watched Minari and was blown away by the performances and nuance to the family dynamics and how well it captures the immigrant experience in the United States. The story centers around the family, and it accurately depicts how insular immigrant families are and how little happens outside of the family unit. I love the scene behind the Korean grocery store when the kids are asked to go to the car, and the mom and dad argue.

5) What's next for you?

I'm currently writing a feature script and will be directing a new short film, once it's responsible and safe to do so.

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www.vacant-light.com | Instagram: @tabhaj