“Maya: The Birth of a Superhero”, a staunchly feminist playable artwork with pronounced South Asian accents, is a 30-minute virtual reality piece. It is in the running for the Best Immersive Work award in a competition launched by the festival this year.

The immersive competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival aims to “highlight the next generation of international artists who are redefining storytelling and inventing new narrative-driven experiences that go beyond the traditional two-dimensional cinema screen ”

“Maya: The Birth of a Superhero,” created by UK-based interdisciplinary artist-activist Paulomi Basu, does this and more. It tells the story of an ordinary girl in the 21st century whose awakening of sexuality transforms her into a female superhero powered by the process of menstruation.

The hero faces the challenge of overcoming his shyness, fear and the restrictive practices of society to find his inner strength and his true superpower.

He said, “‘Maya: The Birth of a Superhero’ subverts the superhero tradition, and represents a South Asian character with strength and agency.”

Basu directed the project with longtime collaborator C.J. Clarke, a photographer and filmmaker, and co-wrote it with him and actor-writer Manjeet Mann.

“She uses her South Asian futurism, knowledge and philosophy to heal the society here. Maya is first and foremost the story of her journey of empowerment,” he said.

Basu was inspired to create “Maya: The Birth of a Superhero” after the law-changing impact of her previous art project ‘Blood Speaks’, about menstrual exile and violence against women in South Asia.

Described by the Guardian as “part superhero satire, part psychological thriller”, Maya, which had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival, Austin, US, in March, seeks to depict the prevalence of misogyny and gender oppression in all Uses an extreme story. Society.

On what she expects from the work’s European premiere at Cannes, Basu said: “It’s really visibility for the work and for the taboo subjects depicted in it.”

“The project also aims to remind women that they are magically powerful beings who are able to reclaim their stories and their bodies to achieve true liberation, justice and joy. The festival platform is important to highlight that Intersectional feminism is not just for women but for everyone,” she added.

“It’s important,” Basu added, “to show this work in the West because Maya is about a South Asian girl in London battling patriarchy in the West.”

Growing up in Kolkata, Basu had to face patriarchy for the first time in her home. Raised by her mother, she drew early inspiration from the city’s rich cinematic history, but after her father’s untimely death, she left home to live a life that allowed her to make choices that previous generations of the family had not made. That women did not have.

The character of Maya is voiced by Indian-British actor Charitra Chandran, who played Edwina Sharma in the second season of the hit Netflix series “Bridgerton.” Indira Varma voices a confusing past incarnation of Maya.

Basu revealed that the immersive film will release worldwide on May 30 via Meta Oculus Quest.

“People with Oculus can watch it for free all over the world for a year,” he said. It can be experienced with Oculus Quest headsets 2, 3 and Pro.

“Also, we will do more film festivals and are open to screenings and installations at art venues,” he said.

The Cannes Film Festival begins on Tuesday.

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