Syarisa Yasin is a Boorloo-based student (emphasis on the student) filmmaker and writer. She is passionate about bringing diverse and inclusive stories to life inspired by her Indonesian and Pakistani heritage. She aims to create work that speaks to women and femmes to capture the complexity of their lives, identities, and dreams. Syarisa’s all-time favorite things to do include dancing, singing, and watching endless amounts of South Asian films from Bollywood to far beyond. 

Tell us about a typical day?

An absolute must when I first wake up in the morning is to immediately wash my face and do my skincare routine, lest the U.S invasion-level grease on my face win. I’ll go to uni and attend class or do whatever it is I have to do that day (oftentimes a long and delirious film shoot) and find a way to catch up with a friend before going home. I’ll wrap up the evening by watching some documentaries with my mom and busting out some moves with her over a Just Dance session before winding down for the day. 

What is your future hope?

I think above all, my future hope is to be content with my life no matter what direction it takes. Super corny, I know, but as a perfectionist I often get into my head about a lot of things and don’t take time to enjoy the journey of discovering who I am and accepting my strengths and weaknesses. For the world I hope that the flow of ideas, dreams, and aspirations keep spreading through the arts to change the world for the better. And I’d definitely want to be a part of that process even if I’m just a microscopic ripple in a great ocean, just for the joy of it.

If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and where would you take them in your city?

I’d be wary of meeting any of my idols; but one person who I think would be very fun to talk to would be YouTuber and fashion maven, Mina Le. Though I’m not cool enough to be a fashion girlie myself, I’m fascinated by Mina’s videos investigating the intersections of fashion, pop culture, film criticism, and history from the phenomenon of the edgy “tumblr girl” to the women’s shoplifting craze of the Victorian era. I’d invite her to a dim sum restaurant in Northbridge for a cute little dumplings/deep fried squid/rice flour prawn roll brunch situation (not quite dinner but I think it still works). 

What does a port culture look like to you?

I grew up as an expat in a small town in Saudi Arabia near the Persian Gulf, so in a sense I feel like I lived in a distinct (and very small) microcosm of port culture. It’s cosmopolitan, and rich with cultural customs that differ from the mainland due to the constant influx of new people and ideas. Most of all, it’s home! 

What’s your favourite sea creature?

 I’d have to go with the adorably chonky manatees/dugongs, I feel a strange kinship towards them. There’s a running joke in my family that I was either a cat or a dugong in my past life due to my great affection for them.