‘The Lascar’ needs about $15,000 to go-ahead
Venkat Raman
Auckland, August 21, 2021
The discrimination, injustice and other prejudices suffered by migrants from India have been recorded and a new book (‘Invisible’ Jacqueline Leckie) commissioned by the New Zealand Indian Central Association, due for release shortly, is certain to raise a national debate.
Another group of Indians- sailors – called, ‘Lascars’ are also reported to have worked for the first European settlers in New Zealand in the late 1700s.
Their stories have never been told but now, a film is making an honest attempt to do so.
Titled, The Lascar,’ the short film aims to shine a light on these forgotten people in pursuit of reclaiming Desi identity in New Zealand’s founding history.
However, there is a problem. The film needs money.
Producer Jessica George said that she and Writer and Director Adi Parige are seeking funding from the government, commercial organisations and even individuals.
Both are postgraduate degree students at the Victoria University of Wellington.
Jessica hopes that their short film will be a proof-of-concept for a feature-length film.
‘The Lascar’ will be a 15-minute historical short film about the first Indians to come to Aotearoa to work amongst the European sealing gangs that settled along the coasts.
“As emerging South Asian creative practitioners, the interest, support, and mentorship we are getting from New Zealand industry professionals have been exhilarating and very encouraging,” Jessica said.
About The Lascar
The story follows Abdul, a lascar, who works in a small sealing gang abandoned on the coast. He has internalised his trauma and conditioning, bending to the will of his colonial master and head of the sealing camp, Freddie.
When Freddie’s abusive behaviour leads to withholding food from Abdul and his fellow lascars, Abdul teams up with the local Maori and stands up against Freddie’s terrible reign.
“Not only is this film an exciting first glance at the story of Desi arrival in Aotearoa, but it also breaks new ground by intersecting Aotearoa’s bi-cultural narrative with the Indian perspective. By solidifying South Asia’s presence in the early days of colonial New Zealand and exploring what early interactions between Pakeha, Indians and Maori must have looked like, The Lascar presents a unique opportunity to disrupt the western narrative of British colonialism and, most importantly, empower the Desi perspectives that got lost to the seas of history,” Jessica said.
According to her, ‘The Lascar’ is about reclaiming India’s role in New Zealand’s founding history. Kiwis can often be ignorant of the historic contributions Indians have made to the country since the late 1700s, she said.
“By making this film, we are taking control of our narrative as Kiwi Indians and getting a step closer to claiming our stake in the history books. We are independently funding this project and need to raise $30,000 to film this production,” she said.
Jessica and Adi have raised about half the requisite money.
They are reaching out to the South Asian communities to partner with them on this project.
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in November.
About Jessica George
“I am just an average Kiwi-Indian girl, navigating the tangled maze of the mundane called life. Things are much more exciting in my head, and that is why you will often find me zoned out. I love history, culture, sub-culture and stories. But all that daydreaming has to materialise somehow and so I turn to art,” Jessica said.
A graduate of Creative Media Production (Video Production) and a minor in Public Relations from Massey University, Jessica is studying to obtain a Master of Fine Arts in Film degree.
She hopes to pursue a career in the media industry.
Email: jesseg.jpg@gmail.com
