A major documentary about the fascinating background of multiculturalist music-maker MIA has run into serious production problems after the director has quit amidst ongoing battles with the artist’s record labels, telling them to “wake up” after leaking teaser footage for the movie online.

Director Steve Loveridge leaked the five minutes of MIA documentary footage online through his personal Tumblr page, urging viewers to “reblog the shit out of this and maybe they’ll wake up,” referring to MIA’s labels Interscope and Roc Nation, as The Guardian reports.

The clip features appearances and interviews with artists over the making of MIA’s latest album, the much delayed Mantagi, one of the year’s most highly anticipated albums.

The teaser (which you can view above before it gets pulled down) features interview footage with producers Diplo and Switch, director Spike Jonze, Kanye West,  XL Recordings’ Richard Russell, and MIA’s own father, one of the founders of the Tamil Tigers (plus a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from Julian ‘wikileaks’ Assange). Loveridge explains the leaked footage is “a teaser from 2012 to show Interscope what the film would feel like,” in his Tumblr post. “Count me out. Would rather die than work on this (documentary).” – Steve Loveridge, Director

It wasn’t long before the record label took notice and had YouTube remove the video by request, with a RocNation representative contacting Loveridge directly through email. Writing “I know how frustrated you must be with the [documentary], but I promise we’ve been having ongoing conversations internally, trying to get legal stuff and funding resolved,” writes the rep; “it IS going to move forward and get done in time for this album cycle and festivals.”

The disgruntled director posted the correspondence on his website, his response to concerns that “the timing of this leak is not good” and reaching out for “damage control”?

“I really couldn’t give a flying fuck,” says Loveridge. “Count me out. Would rather die than work on this.”

MIA, real name Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, has thrown her support behind the embattled director, tweeting that crowdfunding platform Kickstarter could be a viable means to complete the project while calling on her fans to spread the word of Loverdige’s leaked teaser clip.


MIA then flooded her twitter feed with links and retweets about the documentary and the leaked footage.

The Sri Lankan-descending, English-based musician has had no love for the interference of her record labels over the release of Matangi herself, both the documentary and the album were originally scheduled for release late last year, but according to The Guardian her fourth LP was repeatedly rejected for being “too positive”.

Matangi is expected “in the fall” according to Interscope and Roc Nation, with the album’s lead single ‘Bring The Noize’ released last month.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine