Today we’d like to introduce you to Fawzia Mirza.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Before I was an artist, I was a lawyer. I did it, really, for all the wrong reasons, and it wasn’t until my third year of law school that I fell in love with one of my classes, Trial Advocacy. This is a class where you learn courtroom procedure, rules of evidence, basically objections, cross and direct examinations, opening and closing arguments. I loved it. But this was way less like lawyering and way more akin to acting. I promised myself two things: I’d take the bar exam but also an acting class. I passed the bar, loved the class and after I started my first law job, became a litigator by day and also taking acting, comedy and improv classes at night.
My first role was a cobweb in a really not that great production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. After almost three years, I left the firm and pursued a performance career. I started doing a comedy-educational-sexual-violence-prevention touring show that took me to colleges and universities around the country and military installations around the world. I eventually started to get sick of auditioning for roles that felt outside of me and my authentic experiences, so I started writing. I realized that there were more joy, power and activism in writing instead of waiting for someone else to write the perfect role or tell my story.
I love collaborating with others and over the years have written and made web series, short films, made a few short documentaries, a play, did some stand up comedy, and eventually in 2016, made my first feature film which world premiered at SXSW in 2017 and is now available streaming on Amazon and I-Tunes. I’m excited now to be in residency at the SFFILM Society as a recipient of the Rainin Fellowship with my co-writer Terrie Samundra working on the adaption of the feature-length screenplay of my one-woman play ME, MY MOM & SHARMILA.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe I took a deeply circuitous path to becoming an artist. There are always struggles. Sometimes I think we’ve forgotten, blocked out or compartmentalized the struggles or if we just assumed the struggle was a natural part of our path. Sometimes we have used the struggles to strengthen our stride But I also believe there is purpose and process to the path.
Being a woman, being an intersectional person adds beauty and complication to the journey. A fellow actor once said to me, “It’s so much easier to be an actor of color. There are so many roles for you.” This was five years ago. It still shocks me that she actually believed that. When people refuse to see each other, there is struggle. I think if we can move with empathy, we can move with power.
Please tell us about Beela Productions.
As a Pakistani-Muslim-Canadian-American-Human-Queer-Woman, I love feeling like I understand so much more about myself and my mission now than I did 10 years ago.
There is great power and purpose in using art to change the narrative, and create authentic representation on screen. I call myself an ARTivist. My work and mission are about using art and comedy to break down stereotypes and tell stories across my identities and communities. I believe that art and empathy can change the world. I also believe that we are ever-evolving and that we can and should learn from everyone around us and everyone we meet.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Just one? That’s tough. I loved watching ‘Hockey Night In Canada’, rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadians on a Saturday night while living in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. This often preceded me having just finished watching one of my favorite Bollywood movies for the fifth time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fawziamirza.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thefawz
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/fawzia.mirza
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/thefawz
- Yelp: www.signaturemovemovie.com/watch-now
Image Credit:
Bradley Murray, Robin Roemer
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
