| Director: | Seemab Gul |
|---|---|
| Production: | Sanat Initiative (Abid Aziz Merchant), Instinct Productions |
| Running Time: | 20’ |
| Language: | Urdu |
| Country: | Pakistan |
| Year: | 2021 |
| Main Cast: | Parizae Fatima, Hamza Mushtaq, Ayesha Shoaib Ahmed, Nabila Khan, Aun Ali Saleem, Masuma Halai Khwaja, Qasim Ali |
| Screenplay: | Seemab Gul |
| Cinematographer: | Alberto Balazs |
| Editor: | Raluca Petre, Seemab Gul |
| Production Designer: | Hira Mansoor |
| Costume Designer: | Aafreen Shahab |
| Music: | Hollie Buhagiar, Baluji Shrivastav |
| Sound: | Faiz Zaidi, Andrej Bako |
Cinema
Mulaqat (Sandstorm)
Orizzonti
Synopsis
Zara, a schoolgirl in Karachi, shares a sensual dance video with her virtual boyfriend, who then blackmails her. Caught between his manipulative behaviour and the desire to experience love on her own terms, Zara searches for the strength to reject the confines of a patriarchal society.
Director’s Statement
This coming-of-age story navigates the tricky terrain of internet dating in a conservative Muslim society. The film questions the objectification of the female body and its relationship to honour in Pakistani culture. Focusing on female agency, this personal and political film dramatises the desire to gain freedom from harsh societal constraints.
producers/distributors
PRODUCTION 1: Abid Aziz Merchant – Sanat Initiative
FF3 Block 36 Sea View Township, DHA Phase V Ext.
75500 – Karachi, Pakistan
Tel. +92 300 8208108
abidazizmerchant@gmail.com
sanatinitiative@gmail.com
www.sanatinitiative.com/sanatfilms
PRODUCTION 2: Instinct Productions
26 Aybrook Street
W1U 4AN – London, United Kingdom
office@instinctproductions.com
PRESS OFFICE: Paisley Valentine Walsh
1 Stannary Place
SE114AE – London, United Kingdom
Tel. +44 7990510837
paisleyvalentinewalsh@gmail.com
