Sonejuhi Sinha has worked as a director and editor on acclaimed feature films, documentaries, and commercials. Her first narrative short, “Love Comes Later,” premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Sinha was also selected for the 2016 Shoot New Director’s Showcase in New York, as well as Tribeca Film Institute’s Through Her Lens program, where she was mentored by filmmakers like Dee Rees and Catherine Hardwicke.

“Stray Dolls” will premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 27.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

SS: “Stray Dolls” is a story about two young women who have to turn to crime in order to survive in America and gain agency over their lives. It is also a story of love and companionship between an unlikely pair: Riz, a recent immigrant from India, and Dallas, a young American runaway from the South.

It is a story about outsiders in America that grapples with the question of whether it is possible to be good in an environment that is deeply flawed. “Stray Dolls” blurs the line between right and wrong and lives in an uncomfortable moral grey area –one that satirizes the American dream.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

SS: A few years ago, while volunteering at Women’s Prison Association, I came across many stories of American women who fell into a life of crime. Most of them made a decision to protect their family, which resulted in jail time. The rate of women prisoners incarcerated in America has gone up 10 times since the 1990s, and I felt the reasons behind it were endlessly fascinating and complex.

From here, my goal became to explore the grey areas of who we see as a “criminal” and the circumstances that force somebody to commit a crime. At the heart of it, I wanted to tell a story about complex and flawed people who are forced to take matters into their own hands.

As a first generation immigrant, I know firsthand that our lives are not reducible to a mere struggle for survival. I wanted my characters to reflect the complex web of desires, emotions, and needs that define all people from all backgrounds.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

SS: I want to light a fire in the minds of my audience. I don’t want to give them easy answers. I want to help them see more and ask more questions. If they leave the theater troubled, provoked, and full of curiosity, I think I’ve done my job.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

SS: One of the biggest challenges was finding our lead, Riz. In the story, Riz has recently arrived to the U.S. from India. Staying authentic and staying true to the story was critical here. We started our search in the U.S., but I soon realized that Riz was going to have to be an actress from India.

Several people thought this was a crazy idea. Some thought I should cast a lead who would bring “value” to the project. Others thought it was impractical because an O1 Visa for a film would be impossible to get under Trump’s immigration policies. This was a critical decision, and I knew I had to stand my ground and fight for authenticity.

We started an international search for Riz. Fortunately, an established director and friend, Anurag Kashyap, recommended Geetanjali Thapa, a phenomenal talent from Bombay. She read the script and got back to me within 24 hours, eager to do it. From here on, we began the harrowing journey of getting Geetanjali an O1 Visa and flying her over before the shoot. The film gods were shining down on us because her Visa was approved a week before our shoot.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made. 

SS: The film was funded by a combination of production company financing, private equity, in-kind equity, and grants. I had gotten several grants and had in-kind for post-production. The major piece of financing kept coming together and falling apart. Charlotte Rabate, my co-writer and producer, kept me going through all the ups and downs.

Not making the movie was not an option, and together we began looking at every financing hurdle as a fun challenge to overcome. Just when we thought the bottom had fallen out yet again, we got the green light. We were in pre-production in a month. It just goes to show that several noes can still lead to a yes with enough persistence.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

SS: Storytelling has always been an important part of my family and an important part of my growing up. I was always gathering my cousins and friends and directing them to perform plays in front of my family. I went to college wanting to be a writer, but I soon discovered film as a cinema studies dual major.

Early in cinema studies, I watched the film “Pather Panchali” by Satyajit Ray, which left a mark. I had never seen anything so pure and so affecting. Ray had such a strong voice and had so much to say about India’s socioeconomic identity. From then on, I watched all the European and American auteurs, wrote about them, and dreamed of one day making my own films. I knew then that it was in this medium that my instinct for storytelling could come fully alive.

The reason I am a filmmaker today is because I believe I have something unique and novel to say about America, Americans, immigrants, women, and people of color. I am a first generation immigrant. I moved from India to the United States at the age of 13. My family and I started our lives over again in America. In some ways, I am an outsider in India and in the United States. However, it is this outsider perspective that allows me to have distance from and a perspective on the issues surrounding America.

I believe perspective is important in film as it is in all art. All of us have a context, a history, and a past, and it helps us see the world in a certain way. I want to use this unique perspective to move and impact people. I want to use it add to the language of film. Most of all, I hope that my films can be a refuge for the millions of outsiders that make up America.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

SS: Worst advice: “You’ll never get this movie financed.”

Best advice: “Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to make your work.” I think Ava DuVernay said that. She is an incredible role model, and I profoundly admire her choices and career path.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

SS: Believe in yourself.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

SS: There are so many, but “The Piano” by Jane Campion is an all-time favorite. Campion is such a master. Her films are character-driven and one-of-a-kind. Her eye for mise-en-scène is impeccable. She shows slowness, restraint, and deftness in her storytelling. Her voice is singular and absolutely original. She has never made an uninteresting or unchallenging film. This is everything I aspire to be and work hard to achieve. I find something inspiring every time I watch one of her films.

W&H: It’s been a little over a year since the reckoning in Hollywood and the global film industry began. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

SS: The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have been important catalysts in the evolution toward gender parity in Hollywood. Now, we’re finally beginning to see news like Chloe Zhao directing “The Eternals” and Cathy Yan directing “Birds of Prey.” This is a monumental change from even just five years ago.

There is also a lot of talk about change and more and more female producers taking the lead on female-driven stories. Ava DuVernay has not only broken through the glass ceiling herself but empowered an army of women to do so around her.

On the flip side, every once in a while I look at the actual numbers. We’re still a long ways from parity and equal opportunity, and it’ll take several more Ava DuVernays and Ryan Murphys of the world to get to parity.