Sai Selvarajan, an editor at Lucky Post in Dallas, directed, wrote and cut Coup d’état Math, an animated short which was accepted into SXSW 2020. However that festival was recently canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus. The film depicts four immigrant stories–a fight to be born, a fight to survive, a fight to find your place, and the fight to maintain. In collaboration with fine artists Amanda Selvarajan and Olivia Saldivar, Sai Selvarajan applied distinct visual language to each narrative and journey for a truly unique viewing experience. Coup d’état Math was conceived shortly after the Trump administration announced what became known as a Muslim ban. In the face of the increasing demonization of immigrants, Selvarajan knew it was a pivotal moment to tell his story and others that help describe the journey people undertake.
“My family and I came here as political refugees and had to go through a 10-year process to citizenship that took a lot of time, money and mental strength,” said Selvarajan. “I know what it’s like and my heart goes out to anyone trying to cross our borders in search of a better life.”
This is the trailer for Coup d’état Math.