Zara Kahan

Hi, I am Zara Kahan, a Borneo-born filmmaker and mixed-media artist based in Baltimore.

About me

I've directed a feature film, built an international volunteering organization, and led creative teams at digital agencies.

Experience

Film Director & Screenwriter
I wrote and directed a feature film and a series. The feature film was optioned by Malaysian cable company, Astro, and is on its streaming service. The series was bought by RedFilms, Malaysia, and was nominated for an Asian TV Award in 2016.

Graduate Teaching Associate @ Maryland Institute College of Art
Aug 2019 - May 2021

I taught students how to operate film equipment, assisted professors in teaching and creating their syllabi, and critiqued student portfolios.

Special Officer to the Secretary of Youth @ Fed Gov of Malaysia
Jul 2013 - Mar 2016

I created the framework for an international volunteering platform based in Malaysia called MyCorps in cooperation with the US State Dept and Peace Corps. After its inception it launched missions in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Cambodia. I also built a talent development platform that allowed marginalized groups to apply for talent grants easily.

Digital Strategist @PopDigital
Jul 2012 - Jun 2013

I led a creative team in developing advertising campaigns and branding for clients. This included television commercials and social media campaigns.

Assistant Producer @BFM 89.9
Nov 2011 - Jul 2012

I produced a one-hour daily show, did the research and interview questions, and sourced guests. My favorite guest was a participant in the 2011 Egyptian revolution at Tahrir Square.

Copywriter @ AGENDA
Apr 2010 -Nov 2011

I built intellectual architecture for websites, led creative ideation for advertising campaigns, and wrote copy for clients like Microsoft and GlaxoSmithKline.

Awards

Education

Skills

Eisenstein-Zimmerman Award

Leslie K. Hammond Fellow

Nominee - Asian TV Award 2016

Master of Fine Arts, Mount Royal School of Art, MICA. (2021)

LLB. Hons., IIUM. (2007)

Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop & Audition.

Videography, photography & lighting.

16mm cameras - Eclair NPR, Krasnogorsk-3.

Recent work

On Earth, You Are Briefly Gorgeous.

This work is built to mimic the shape and pattern sensibilities of my tribe’s traditional tattoos. Historically adult women in the tribe would tattoo patterns using the dot tattoo method on their calves and hands as a form of protection and recognition of strength. There are thousands of dots displayed in this work. Each dot houses moving images of people from tribes in Borneo in the movements of warrior dance and the mongondi - an ancient practice of improvised singing in classical Rungus language. When viewing on PCs, the zoom function can be used to look at details.

Ask The Sky / Tanya Pada Langit

This piece is a contemplation on the shapeshifting and mental distortions that happen within the mind of an immigrant. As a recent immigrant to America, I am interested in interrogating the changes within one’s psychological environment when moving between physical and cultural boundaries. The central design in this piece is a pattern created from cut and manipulated videos of myself. The borders of the structure hold the sensibilities of a temple and house the movements from tribal dances - a reference to shifting spiritual beliefs and shifting rhythms of thought.

Alone On Earth

This video poem series was created in response to the sense of isolation I experienced during the pandemic. The voice reciting the poem is from a speech to text program. The video depicted will change based on the viewer's location and search history. Viewers must allow their locations to be revealed for the video to run. My objective for this project was to explore the space between the poetic and the banal in the everyday human struggle to find meaning in pain and tragedy.

Half-faced mother, still-tongued child.

This is a digital piece that borrows from the tradition of batik design. The videos embedded within the design contain elements of the “magavau” tradition which is part of the Kadazan indigenous tribe’s harvest festival which means “to look for things that are lost”. I chose the repetitive pattern of batik as the central theme of this work because batik is deeply embedded in Malaysian culture and is also what my mother wore while caring for me. Within the patterns of the weaving shaped by these videos are images of my own home life and own child. As a Westernized member of my tribe, my position as a “true native” tends to be disputed. By including myself within the pattern I am reclaiming my place and asserting the fact that I remain part of the tribe. When viewing on PCs, the zoom function can be used to look at details.

My Love, Lend Me Your Face (Kasihku Pinjam Wajahmu.)

This is an episode from a series that I wrote and directed. It is a musical drama based in Kuala Lumpur and centers the common struggles of young Malaysians from small towns trying to make it in the city. This series was nominated for an Asian Tv Award in 2016.

Breathing in the mud. (Bernafas Dalam Lumpur.)

The One Who Moves

I am interested in exploring social conditioning in America through the lens of an immigrant. This work examines what human beings wish to perceive and what we have been trained to overlook. In this specific work, a nail salon is used as the backdrop for the interplay between “the other” and “the myth”. The fragments of feathered birds have been used to create a whole being as an embodiment of the mythical "American". The faceless nail technician continues the work of immigrants; beautifying the myth while remaining nameless. Initially, this piece did not have text, but after recent events and after seeing an excellent commentary piece by Ocean Vuong that has been shared around social media, I added his words as a homage to its truth.

Question: Why Am I Here?

Get in touch.

zarakahan[at]gmail.com