Conversation with Maharaki for Vivre

Maharaki is here with her exquisite short film Vivre as one of the eleven finalists in the Global Shorts section of the 7^th edition of the Dominican Global Film Festival. The 13-minute film opens in a classroom in Guadalupe with a teacher asking her students what they want to be when they grow up. One dreamy 10-year old, Thomas (Ydriss Bonalair) lets his mind wander to three different outcomes and takes the viewers along. The outcomes are all different –good, bad and tragic, but all hinged on the different choices the adult Thomas makes at some point. “When I grow up, I want to make good choices,” the young Thomas finally tells his teacher and fellow students.

“It is a universal question and is ultimately about making the right choices, teaching our children how important that is and preparing them to take responsibility,” said Maharaki, a native of Martinique who has lived for the past 10 years in Barbados.  

In an interview along her mother and the film’s co-producer Suzy Soler, Maharaki explained that Vivre is the first ever co-production between Martinique and Guadeloupe, both French-speaking Caribbean islands. They used actors from both places.

“We have so many stories in the French Caribbean and I want to tell them from our point of view so we can recognize ourselves on the big screen… so we and others see us in a beautiful and positive light,” she said. “I don’t want to follow the pattern of Hollywood with its violence and gunshots and the horrors you see on CSI. I hope to raise consciousness so that people can make the better choices for themselves.”

Discussing the rampant violence and sexual exploitation of women in the entertainment industry as well as racial stereotyping and profiling, Maharaki prefers to tell universal, positive stories to counterbalance this negativity that is overwhelmingly portrayed in movies and TV.

“I think the visual content and message on the screen, TV or cinema, imprints on the brain and soul of the viewer. I want people to come out of the movie feeling good – dreaming and aiming for something better in themselves and the world.”

Maharaki, who has made several short films, many TV ads and music videos, spoke about women in the Caribbean and the responsibility they have. “There are many single mothers raising children and I think as artists we have the responsibility to be good role models for these children. I am sorry to say but Rihanna (from Barbados) has been turned into an American product and has set a horrible example for our young people with her music videos.”

Caribbean women in film

Referring to the panel given by American film expert, Michelle Materre, on Caribbean women behind the camera, Maharaki said the crew of her extremely professional short film Vivre was comprised of 50% women in key executive and technical positions (as compared to 9% of films made in the USA). The film was shot over a period of 3 days in Guadeloupe (the schoolroom scenes) and 6 days in Martinique. However, it took them nearly 2 and-a-half years to get the budget to finish the film, which they did in Paris.