MAYA: The Birth of a Superhero
Narrative“Genuinely empowering. This is galvanising, boundary-pushing art at it’s best.”
**** - The Guardian
Winner Special Jury Mention Prize 2023 Tribeca Festival. Nominated Festival de Cannes Compétition Immersive 2024. Exhibited Victoria & Albert Museum x LDF 2023.
An immersive story following Maya, an ordinary 21st Century girl, as she transforms into a uniquely female superhero whose powers derive from menstruation.
Staring Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) the piece was created by renowned artist and activist, Poulomi Basu and co-directed by CJ Clarke.
With the arrival of her first period Maya’s world is turned upside down as she is confronted by the restrictive traditions of her conservative family and a world of hidden shame, stigma and taboo that exist in contemporary London.
She must overcome her own shame and fear to find her inner strength and true super-powers.
Inspired by Poulomi Basu’s law changing impact art project ‘Blood Speaks’ about menstrual exile and violence against women in South Asia.
The Player must find the magic within themselves, discovering a strength that emerges out of trauma to be a power based on self love and solidarity.
The piece draws together the real and the magical to trace possible paths to resilience and justice.
Her name, Maya, means magic and illusion in Sanskrit.
Produced by Just Another Production Company in co-production with France Télévisions – Francetv Storylab, in conjunction with the Meta VR for Good program.
| Mixed reality | |
| comfort | ⦾ Moderate |
| age rating | 13+ Teen |
| website | maya-superhero.com |
| developer | Just Another Production Company |
| publisher | Just Another Production Company & France Télévisions |
| connection | Internet not required |
| app version | 1.4.1 |
| languages | English ∙ French |
Reviews 38
Thought provoking and stylish!
As a fellow immersive filmmaker, this experience touches me deeply. It tells the important and collective story of so many women and girls, daily experience of them but so often silenced and shamed.
Everything was beautifully curated together, love the art style, hand tracking interaction and music, some stunning perspectives shift with experience design as well!
Well done!
For anyone wanting to buy it, it's not a game purely for fun, please do have the expectation for an immersive experience.
Utter Nonsense
While it’s true that very primitive areas believe in “filth”, not true for any civilized nation. Not for anyone that can afford a VR headset anyway. Described this story to my wife and she couldn’t believe the utter nonsense.
powerful story but point lost on many
This is really an interactive movie and not a game. It's best to leave it until you've got enough time to relax and be immersed into the story and be receptive to the story of a young woman starting puberty.
As a father of two daughters, I watched this and it gave me insight into how starting periods affected them. I'll admit it made me uncomfortable but I think that's the point, I certainly understand better.
There are many low rated reviews and it's clear the entire point of this app was lost to them. It's disappointing that those people didn't even get a glimmer of insight from it. Perhaps the description of the app could be better so as to set the viewer's expectation into a more receptive mindset?
The concept and execution of this movie is excellent, it is stylish and well done.
Eh
First of all it’s talking about Periods but I like that it’s magic and the rest was much of a story like I was a third and first person
It’s good but….
I like the game but it had stuff like t@mp0ns and it talked about per!0ds but other than that it was great
Garbage
Was led to believe this game was about super heroes. Instead I was dragged through a whole bunch of propaganda about how having a period makes you strong.
Monster design sucked. Mom and dads sucked.
Played this game for like a minute before realizing that if I was a parent I would not in a million years have shown this to my daughter. The visuals are wrong. Not disturbing...wrong.
I might actually just report this game. Its this bad.