Film Southasia 2017 to Feature 5 Pakistani Non-Fiction Films

5 films from Pakistan made it to the Film Southasia 2017 festival this year. They join the list of 63 non-fiction documentaries airing at the 11th non-fiction film festival happening this year in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The 4 day event, from 2nd till 5th of November, features the theme of ‘Documentary Bears Witness’.

The Pakistani short-films that made it to Kathmandu include:

1. ‘A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness’ by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
2. ‘Among the Believers’ by Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Ali Naqvi
3. ‘K2 and the Invisible Footmen’ by Iara Lee
4. ‘Lyari Notes’ by Maheen Zia and Miriam Chandy Menacherry
5. ‘Perween Rahman: The Rebel Optimist’ by Mahera Omar

The FSA management has also uploaded the trailer of the event on their official website.

1. A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

The story of 2016 Oscar-winning short-film revolves around an honor killing survivor from Pakistan. The film has also bucketed the best documentary award at the 38^th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

2. Among the Believers

Made by Oscar and Emmy winning filmmakers, ‘Among the Believers’ has been screened at 90+ film festivals globally. The documentary has collected more than 30 awards.

A cleric named Abdul Aziz Ghazi, who wants to implement a strict version of Shariah law, is the main subject of this documentary. The film covers his journey.

3. K2 and the Invisible Footmen

This documentary covers the hardship faced by Pakistani porters and Nepali Sherpa people to make a living in the Karakorum mountain range.

The film also features a Pakistani climbing team of exporters who climbed this summit in 2014 celebrating the 60^th anniversary of K2.

4. Lyari Notes

The film plots four young girls who learn music from Hamza Jafri, a rock star and music teacher, to evince themselves in Karachi’s most unstable area despite facing violence.

The film was shot over three years.

5. Perween Rahman: The Rebel Optimist

The film is a story of a social worker, Parween Rahman, who stood in favor of poor people against the mafias of state. She was silenced because of her constant dedication towards the cause in March 2013 as she was gunned down on her way home by armed muggers.

FSA 2017 will award 5 films, out of 45 that are in the competitive section, with the total prize money of USD 5,500. A jury of three judges including Dixit, Farjad and R. Dasgupta from Nepal, Pakistan and India, respectively, will choose the winners. Kathmandu hosts the event every alternate year.