We recently connected with Miraya Burka and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Miraya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I recently finished making my first short film out of school, “Luminosity,” which I directed, produced, wrote, and starred in. It is slated to begin its festival circuit later this year.
“Luminosity” is an 11-minute feminist-horror short about a young couple who venture on a seemingly romantic weekend trip. The truth about their partnership is slowly revealed as the couple perform increasingly destructive Marina Ambramović-esque acts of endurance in a twisted attempt to strengthen their bond.
I was inspired to write “Luminosity” after attending an exhibit detailing the relationship between two performance artists, Marina Ambramović and Ulay, who engaged in harmful endurance acts to grow closer. This dynamic felt oddly relatable and incredibly compelling; in an effort to strengthen a relationship and stay, sometimes we end up hurting ourselves. My goal in writing “Luminosity” was to confront the cycles of abuse that seem inescapable for so many women.
Luminosity has been the most meaningful project I’ve worked on, because, especially as a first-time female director, it was empowering to have creative control over such a personal project. I was able to get my hands dirty on every aspect of this film, and I believe Luminosity emulates the kind of art I want to continue making with the specific messages I hope to continue conveying throughout my career.
Additionally, working with such an incredible crew made the experience just wonderful. I believe that making art can and should be a fun process led by collaboration and warmth. For example, our DP Molly Scotti is insanely talented, works so hard, has the best ideas, and also is such a positive and friendly presence. The industry can be cutthroat and cold, but being on that set, where every crew member gave the project their all while also bringing such vibrancy and kindness to the experience, gave me hope that the next generation of filmmakers will change industry culture.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a born and raised New Yorker. Growing up in New York, I was exposed to a variety of art, theater, and films from an early age. I immediately caught the acting bug – I can’t remember a time when my dream wasn’t to become an actress. I was in any acting class my parents could sign me up for, and was in my elementary school’s Shakespeare afterschool program until it got canceled because of disinterest. Lol.
Later on, I became infatuated with filmmaking, making short videos on iMovie with my cousins. Then came my love for writing – whenever there was a creative writing assignment in school I would light up.
I didn’t find my unique voice, though, until college. I started at NYU Tisch as a drama major, but after taking a screenwriting class, I applied to become a double major in Dramatic Writing. It was then that I discovered my love of writing horror. Specifically, feminist-horror. I find that in a lot of ways horror emulates the female experience, and as someone who primarily writes stories as a means to attain catharsis, I found the genre only elevated my personal connections to the stories I was telling.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’m incredibly passionate about diversifying the industry. It’s very important to me to work with diverse crews on the projects I work on, and especially because the stories I tell center around women, working with women-led crews is essential.
Every day, the industry is getting better at promoting and greenlighting stories by and for people of so many different backgrounds and unique experiences, but I think there’s still so much work that needs to be done. What feels very intertwined with diversifying the industry is also creating spaces that promote making art for art’s sake and trying to move filmmaking away from money-making as its primary purpose. What we’re seeing, especially in the horror genre, is that audiences resonate with diverse storytelling and with women at the forefront, which is very reassuring.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

For so long, I believed that I could only be one thing and that I had to choose a box to fit myself into. I didn’t understand until halfway through my time at NYU that I didn’t just have to be an actor or a director or a screenwriter and that there are places where I can be all of those things at once. Or, I can switch between specific roles. For example, right now, I’m producing another feminist-horror short with my good friend and NYU classmate Lela Cermin called “The Hatred” – and I love getting to focus on producing for this project.
I’m currently working with my mom to produce a play she’s written entitled “Mata Gee” about four generations of women’s search for home following the India-Pakistan partition, inspired by our family’s history. My mom, Shailly Agnihotri, has been a lawyer, yoga teacher, non-profit founder, and now a playwright. She has taught me that in life, you never have to restrict yourself to just one identity or career path.
I came to a realization a couple of years ago that I don’t think I would ever feel creatively fulfilled just being an actor, director, screenwriter, or producer. I love it all, and I love the process of filmmaking so much. I hope I continue getting to bounce around and develop these facets of my creative life for the rest of my career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mirayaburka.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mirayaburka
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miraya-burka

Image Credits

Sub/Urban Photography, Amanda Pinto and Jake Nathanson