We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Asha Dahya a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Asha, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
As a storyteller and filmmaker, my goal is human connection. How can I take deep, complex and even divisive issues, and present them in a way that shifts our thinking? I believe personal storytelling is the magical ingredient to enabling people from all different backgrounds to understand one another and find empathy. As someone who left a conservative Evangelical church and saw the first-hand impact of creating an environment based on fear and misinformation around abortion despite women secretly having abortions, and as a filmmaker who has seen the way industry executives shy away from this topic despite many of them personally going through the experience, I know there is so much more to explore in this topic than what has been presented in news media and politics. My new short film SOMEONE YOU KNOW, which features three women sharing their experiences navigating a hostile landscape, as well as numerous barriers, to get a later abortion, is my way of helping to generate empathy, while also pushing back on misinformation about later abortion.
My goal and purpose is to humanize this issue through the storytelling of the women featured. It is not a political film. It is an invitation to hear a different perspective and challenge pre-conceived notions about later abortion. As Renee Bracey Sherman, founder of abortion advocacy and storytelling org. WeTestify.org beautifully states in the film, I hope people who watch ‘Someone You Know’ will understand that everyone love someone who has had an abortion, an they should think about the stigma they are taking in, and how it is impacting the people they love.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have worked in film and TV for 20 years, in Australia as well as the United States. I have always had a passion for using the media as a way to elevate personal stories and create deeper connections. Filmmaking is arguably the most effective and powerful communication tool in the world, and this is the reason I took up a career path in the film and TV industry right out of college. I’ve always had something to say, and these messages have varied throughout my life. From what it takes to be a powerful woman, to pushing back against the patriarchy, and even to amplify the lived experiences of typically marginalized voices (women of color especially). Because of this, it was only natural that I had my sights set on this industry from a young age, and I am still here today. I am the founder of a digital intersectional feminist magazine called GirlTalkHQ.com, I am the author of a book titled “Today’s Wonder Women: Everyday Superheroes Who Are Changing The World”, and I am the director and producer of a new short documentary called SOMEONE YOU KNOW, which will be premiering at the Athena Film Festival on March 2nd, in NYC.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As a fairly new filmmaker, there were many lessons I learned during the 4 years it took me to make this film and get where I am today. I put a lot of my own money into the project, successfully received a few small grants, and also had to launch a Kickstarter campaign to enable me to finish the film. But it was all worth it, and there were so many things I gained through this process, on a personal and professional level.
1. You have to be the number one believer in your project. Don’t rely on anyone else’s passion or commitment to get you through. It has to start with you.
2. Don’t be afraid to constantly evaluate and reevaluate your priorities, or even pivot when you need to! It is normal for our perspectives and ideas to shift over the course of making a film, and by being honest with yourself you will have a much smoother process.
3. Be open to change and hearing other ideas that could enhance your project. Sometimes we view our films as a deeply intimate part of ourselves, and that is so true. But if the purpose of making this film is to invite other people into your passion and mission to make an impact, it may require adding some sea salt to your caramel!
This is the advice I would give to other filmmakers starting out on their journey.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I think every social impact filmmaker can agree that when you put your heart and soul into a meaningful project, the right people will come your way if you are willing to put yourself out there. I was randomly telling an industry friend about the project I was working on, and she ended up opening up to me about her own later abortion story, having to make a heartbreaking decision during a wanted pregnancy. I had no idea! i could sense in that moment she was very happy I was making this film, because many later abortion patients receive a lot of harassment, and are misunderstood because of the misinformation and ugly rhetoric shared by political figures. Because of this, many of them stay silent. But it also reiterated the power of storytelling and the ability for films to connect people, and make them feel seen. This friend, who also works in television, gave me a post-production recommendation who I contacted and ended up working with them on all my music and sound mix. They were such a wonderful company who believed in the message of my film, and even worked with my modest budget to help me finish the film. This whole story of connection and vulnerability was a beautiful way of the universe telling me to keep going, and that the right people will come along at the right time to guide you to your goal.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashadahya.com
- Instagram: @ashadahya
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashadahya/
- Twitter: @ashadahya
- Other: www.someoneyouknowdoc.com
Image Credits
Image of Asha with blue shirt sitting at a table, Credit Alana Fickes
