by NEA MAATY
(Nea is a staff journalist with the Focus Media Arts Centre)

In recognition of the large Bengali community living in Regent Park and St. James Town, we interview award winning filmmaker Lalita Krishna and director Elizabeth D’ Costa about their latest film Bangla Surf Girls.  The film premieres on-line at the 2021 Hot Docs Film Festival
(April 29 – May 9, 2021).

The film’s universal message will appeal to many of us who have passions and dreams but may lack the financial means to reach them.  The film will also have a special appeal to South Asian families living in Regent Park and St. James Town who are interested in seeing films from regions where they once resided.   

As a producer Lalita Krishna is interested in stories that change lives and focuses on issues related to poverty, women’s rights, child labour, and domestic violence. Through 20 years of experience in the documentary industry, Lalita sees that these issues do not only happen in poor far away countries but also have relevancy here in North America.

The film Bangla Surf Girls, follows another Bangladesh film called Untying the Knot about the survivor of a domestic violence attack and her fight to defend women’s right and social oppression.

This is not Lalita’s first time visiting Regent Park TV. Lalita is the filmmaker and producer of Shooting for Change, a documentary about the Focus Media Arts program and its connection to the community and impact on the participants. The film was produced in the mid-2000.  

Bangla Surf Girls is Lalita’s latest film. It is an inspiring story about the resilience of three girls who join the surf program in their local community in Bangladesh. We find these girls among the children who sell food and goods at the beach. To play, to learn, and to have fun is a different experience for these girls whose peers must struggle with responsibilities like selling and getting money to their families or cooking, or just getting married. For these girls there is an opportunity for them to do something different from what their moms, aunts, and grandmothers did.

The story had unexpected surprises. According to Elizabeth D’Costa, the director of Bangla Surf Girls, “it doesn’t always have to go the way you planned or expected. In real life, unexpected things happen and as a documentary filmmaker you follow the characters and let people decide. You have to be open to changes in life.”

Elizabeth, who speaks Bengali, went to the slums, stayed there, built trust and work hard to understand the girl’s lives. Although the area was a bit dangerous, “ one person was murdered a day before I started shooting,” Elizabeth said, but she felt safe in the area. Everyone made sure that Elizabeth was in good hands and she was able to build a beautiful friendship with the girls and the family. All of that needed time and patience.

The story takes place in Cox’s Bazar, a town on the southeast of Bangladesh. It is the longest beach in the world. The area has become a booming tourist spot for its natural beauty and its tropical rainforest, and an opportunity for low-income families to send their children to sell some goods and make some income to help with difficulties of life. That’s how the girls discover the joys of surfing.

One of the struggles the director had was how many things were happening in the girls lives at the same time. It was challenging for Elizabeth and Lalita to decide what to keep in the film and what to remove. Another challenge was their young age. As a result, sometimes the girls lacked the ability to make a clear choice. Low light in the slum was another one of the difficulties Elizabeth faced. Finally there was the weather. Sometimes you don’t get waves although you are prepared and ready with the right lenses and the drones.

As a result of all these difficulties, the film took three years instead of the one year that Lalita planned. “It took so much patience and persistence to complete the film,” said Lalita.

This Bangla Surf Girls will be screening on-line at the HotDocs Film Festival which is a Canadian International Documentary Festival. It is the largest documentary festival in North America. The film will be screened online due to the pandemic restrictions and will be screening from April 29th to May 9th.