Pakistani documentary Songs of the Sufi wins top award at Chicago South Asian Film Festival
The film tells the story of classical qawwali through qawwals of the Qawwal Bachay Gharana, music scholars.
Pakistani filmmakers are set to make a splash at the 16th Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) with three short films selected for screening in the competition this year. With the festival scheduled to take place between September 14 and 21, films from Pakistan will be screened on September 18 at Chicago’s AMC River East 21 theatre.
The CSAFF, which is dedicated to advancing diversity in the Chicago area, is an annual event screening works by South Asian and diaspora creators. The event was first held in 2010 and has since gained the backing of cultural institutions, the city’s government, and the local South Asian community.
The following films from Pakistan have been selected for the event:
The story of a young girl who misses her van home from school, Afia Nathaniel’s Don’t be late, Myra is a glimpse of life and Lahore through the eyes of a child. The 15-minute thriller is based on a true story and has been on a hot streak at film festivals worldwide — winning awards at the Bergen International Film Festival in New Jersey, the Montreal International Film Festival, the Big Apple Film Festival in New York, the UK Asian Film Festival, the Woodstock Film Festival, and more.
The film stars Innayah Umer in the titular role, while Nida Ahsan plays Myra’s bedridden mother, and Sumaira Saghir plays Myra’s teacher. Mushtaq Ahmed, Munir Hussain, Shahid Riaz, Rizwan Riaz and Sohail Tariq play men she meets in her journey, representing the many dangers posed to a little girl on the street.
Ahsan Minhas’ Fankaar won its star, Sardaar Nabeel, the Best Actor award at the Dadasahib Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) in New Delhi last year. The film is a psychological drama based on a man forced to perform three acts, each reflecting the pain of a segment of society. Fankaar explores themes of exploitation, classism and the commodification of suffering. In addition to DPIFF, the film has also been selected for the DC South Asian Film Festival and the International South Asian Film Festival in Canada.
Tabish Habib’s deeply personal exploration of fatherhood across time is premiering at CSAFF. Time After Time follows a young father whose daughter goes missing while the pair were playing in the garden of their Lahore home; he then has to travel through time in an effort to find her. Habib says the film is an ode to good fathers, including his own, whom he has dedicated it to.
The lead duo in Pakistan’s 2022 Oscar entry, Joyland, Ali Junejo and Rasti Farooq, will be starring in Time After Time alongside Maha Hasan and Hina Bayat.
Pakistan had a strong performance at the CSAFF last year as well. Gunjal — a fictionalised account of a journalist’s investigation into the murder of child labour activist Iqbal Masih — was one of two runners-up for the festival’s Best Fiction Feature — Audience Choice award and Songs of the Sufi took home Best Documentary — Audience Choice.
Pakistani participation in the festival began in its inaugural edition with the critically acclaimed film Ramchand Pakistani. Since then, several films such as Kamal Khan’s Karachi-based Laal Kabootar, Mehreen Jabbar’s Dobara Phir Se and Iram Parveen Bilal’s Wakhri have been screened for audiences at the festival.