Today we’d like to introduce you to Teva Cheema.
Teva, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began making ‘short films’ and skit sequences with my sister at a young age with our family’s VHS/DV camera like most kids who grew up in the 90’s. I recorded my parents having an argument once when I was around 12 — which led to my mother folding over the camera’s screen. This incident planted a seed in my interest of what I would later come to find myself attracted to with cinema.
In college, I took a film class but dropped out after a couple of lectures. I found my cohort more attracted to the equipment and utilities–an obsession with the popular film at the time, “Transformers” by Michael Bay. I had no personal relationship with machines and sunsets, none of it resonated with me. I thought it would be best to study literature and creative writing so I could have the skills to craft the stories I’d want to tell.
I started a film production company, “Cyber Fools” that I would shoot short films and features at night after my 9-5 day job. We created about 60 films at that time, I quit my job a few years later and joined film school in London. After a few years in the city, I made three short films and graduated with my feature, “The Burning Chicken” which will be released later this year — shot entirely on super 16mm during a heavy period of the pandemic. That was really odd, but an amazing experience nonetheless.
Right now, I’m working on a three-part music video series for this hi-fi heavy rock band, “Kevlar”. The first video in the series has been released, “Candle Burns” that involves these devil-type hell raising angels at the local skating rink that I grew up at. The next one which will be released mid-summer, “Doctor K” — it’s this hi-tech video that will have virtual reality components. I won’t say much more about that.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Definitely has not been a smooth road. I’ve never received a hand-out of any sort. Every film I make always feels like it’s going to be my last — so I put my entire life-force behind it. I always have this sensation when a project nears that I won’t be around much longer, and when I’ve survived, as usual, there’s this great sense of progress. I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable with film — I’m always attempting to experiment with a new idea or feeling, and I can get bored very quickly. But, this works very well for me — it keeps the cinema feeling fresh. I’m very lucky in that the past few years, I’ve had almost complete and total creative control and freedom, and am in a very privileged position which has also led to numerous difficulties along the way. I often feel that I can be the only person getting in the way of my own work.
Every project that I’ve worked on thus far has felt like I’ve earned it for myself — obviously with the help of others, as filmmaking is such a collaborative process. But that individual self-fulfilling feeling is very unique. I guess most creative endeavors are on a similar plane.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a writer/ director interested in multi-faceted aspects of cinema. I’m most excited for my feature film, “The Burning Chicken” that will be released later this year. It’s about three teenage London inner city kids. It doesn’t really have a plot, and we shot during the pandemic. I really hope people get to see it, and it won’t just be seen by cinephiles and film-bros of the film circuit.
I’m also really energized and excited about this three part video series Cyber Fools will be doing with the band, “Kevlar”. They’ve given us directors cut and really believe in the projects we’re doing. The band has worked closely with us to achieve something that feels new. It’s not your typical music video a director would take on that feels like a client-contractor relationship. We aren’t really thinking of the music videos as music videos and that all feels very exciting and liberating. Those will all be available to the public for free on YouTube! The first part of the series, “Candle Burns” is live online.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Last week someone hung themselves from the pier, so that’s the kind of decrepit surfer town I come from.
I was incredibly shy as a child. I grew up in a community where I was an extreme minority. When 9/11 happened, being Indian-American, I felt completely alone and isolated — I couldn’t relate to the ‘community’ and felt like an outsider. I guess as you grow up, you find places you enjoy to live, and find a place where you can fit in, in a sense, you become more comfortable, but the feeling of being an outsider or an alien in a way doesn’t ever really shake-off. I felt like I was like all of the other kids — until I wasn’t, and culturally wasn’t attached to the Punjabi community, so It was all this gray area.
Introduced to this sort of social awareness at a young age of how you fit in and how people perceive you really makes you hyper self-aware. During this sort of social and cultural shift, I found myself gravitating to punk music and skateboarding. I guess the only things at this age that really interested me were music and skating, and I don’t think those need an explanation. I found myself attracted to outspoken personalities, people who were honest, art that was honest — no fluff…
As I grew older and created connections with people from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London I realized that my personal story wasn’t as unique as I once thought— there were other people who had gone through similar experiences, and mirrored journeys. I guess the feeling of knowing that you’re not alone and there are others that feel the same way you do has been a vehicle of encouragement for me. Being given a voice at any level is important to be able to articulate it for the people that are voiceless.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/jazzhole
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb3D2iYc1zfcj1yz_6efAwg
- Other: https://cyberfools.bigcartel.com
Image Credits:
John Gaston, Can Koroglu, Robert Youngblood, Devin Briggs
