“2018’s Most Illuminating Pop Doc” MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. opens Wednesday, November 21 at AFS Cinema

MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. opens Wednesday, November 21 at AFS Cinema. Buy Tickets.

Drawn from a cache of personal video recordings from the past 22 years, director Steve Loveridge’s Sundance award winning 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; a sonic sketchbook that blended Tamil politics, art school punk, hip-hop beats and the unwavering, ultra-confident voice of a burgeoning multicultural youth.

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.

HERE’S WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING

“This is not a normal pop documentary, because M.I.A. is not a normal pop star.”
THE ATLANTIC

“Inspires deep respect for the fierce and independent artist that is M.I.A., a person whose voice is necessary, now more than ever.”
LOS ANGELES TIMES

“M.I.A.’s status as a pioneering, outspoken, determined brown woman is yet to be fully celebrated. When that time comes, this doc will be waiting to influence and inspire in equal measure.”
TIME OUT

“The time feels suddenly ripe for the West to reassess her perspective anew, to see not irrelevance but foresight.”
— VULTURE

“It belies a pair of long-standing contemporary challenges: which members of the entertainment industry have license to cross the political commentary divide? And exactly how do these people, usually women or minorities, make their voices on personally important issues heard without being ostracized or mocked?”
NPR

“2018’s most illuminating pop doc.”
THE GUARDIAN

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