In 2007 there was a song that stood out, one that everyone loved, and one that has recently turned into a meme on Twitter. The song, you will recognize by the following line; “All I wanna do is *gunshot noises* and *cash register noise* take your money.” The song, which spent 20 weeks on the Billboard charts peaking at number 4, if you don’t recognize it, is “Paper Planes” by M.I.A.
M.I.A., as most of the world knows her, began as Matangi. Daughter of the founder of Sri Lanka’s armed Tamil resistance, she hid from the government in the face of a vicious and bloody civil war. When her family fled to the UK, she became Maya, a precocious and creative immigrant teenager in London. Throughout her journey, she never let anyone compromise her vision.
“MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.” is not your typical pop-star documentary, that is evident by the trailer itself. Unlike the documentaries of stars like Justin Beiber or One Direction who were followed by camera crews to document their lives on tour, Maya kept her camera rolling throughout her journey and that is what we see here. “MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.” provides unparalleled, intimate access to the artist in her battles with the music industry and mainstream media, told from her perspective, as her success and fame explodes, and she becomes one of the most recognizable, outspoken, and provocative voices in music today.
The film, which uses the previously unseen footage, is directed by Steve Loveridge.
“MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.,” which won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, is slated for theatrical release in the United Kingdom on September 21 and in the United States on September 28.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Drawn from a cache of personal video recordings from the past 22 years, director Steve Loveridge’s MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. is a startlingly personal profile of the critically acclaimed artist, chronicling her remarkable journey from refugee immigrant to pop star. She began as Matangi. Daughter of the founder of Sri Lanka’s armed Tamil resistance, she hid from the government in the face of a vicious and bloody civil war. When her family fled to the UK, she became Maya, a precocious and creative immigrant teenager in London. Finally, the world met her as M.I.A. when she emerged on the global stage, having created a mashup, cut-and-paste identity that pulled from every corner of her journey along the way. Never one to compromise on her vision, Maya kept her camera rolling throughout. MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. provides unparalleled, intimate access to the artist in her battles with the music industry and mainstream media as her success and fame explodes, becoming one of the most recognizable, outspoken and provocative voices in music today.