CANNES, MAY 16   :   ‘Maya: The Birth of a Superhero’, an artistic installation created by Kolkata-born artist Poulomi Basu is vying for the top prize of the inaugural Immersive Competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

The installation, which combines mixed reality and virtual reality to portray the taboo surrounding menstruating women in rural India, is among eight works from around the world competing in the immersive section.

‘Maya: The Birth of a Superhero’ is one of the several Indian entries in the official selection of the influential film festival which kicked off on May 14.

‘Maya: The Birth of a Superhero’ tells the story of a young immigrant Indian girl in a tower hamlet in London experiencing bullying at school after she gets her first period in front of her peers.

Life changes for Maya, the immigrant girl, when she meets in her dream a mystical superhero, also called Maya, reflecting the power of magic in Indian mythology. The stigma and shame around menstruation soon turns into power and confidence for the young girl.

“The idea is to present a superhero character from South Asia with agency,” says Basu, who studied at Kolkata’s La Martinière and St. Xavier’s College before moving to the United Kingdom six years ago.

“Women are treated like untouchables during periods. The installation takes viewers on a journey from shame to empowerment,” says Basu, who has co-written and co-directed the work with British artist CJ Clarke.

The installation, which also explores misogyny and patriarchy within the Western society, uses the medium of virtual reality to provide an interactive experience about the taboo subject.

‘Game of Thrones’ actor Indira Varma plays the role of the superhero while London-based actor Charithra Chandran plays the role of the young Maya.

The 33-minute work is the result of a decade of Basu’s research into the taboo surrounding menstruating women in rural India and part of Nepal where they are banished from their homes and kept in isolation during their periods.

“The work is a journey from shame to empowerment,” adds Basu, an award-winning artist and photographer.

‘Maya: The Birth of a Superhero’ had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the United States in March this year. Last year, a 15-minute version of the work showcased at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York had won its Special Jury Award.

‘Maya: The Birth of a Superhero’ will be released worldwide on May 30 for users to download free on Meta Quest.

In 2017, Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Inarritu presented his virtual reality installation, ‘Carne y Arena’ (‘Virtually Present, Physically Invisible’), at the Cannes Film Festival. The work won a Special Academy Award for Inarritu in 2018.(UNI)