LAHORE: The best of South Asian documentaries and films are coming to Pakistan once again with the Travelling Film South Asia (TFSA) festival, that will take place from 22nd to 24th September at Oolmopolo and on 26th September at The Learning Hub College, Gujranwala.

The festival, now in its 25th year, has been visiting Pakistan under the banner of Matteela Film Festival in the past, with its eye-catching logo designed by Ahmad Ali Manganhar.

This year’s edition curated by Farjad Nabi and Olomopolo Media will also be attended by the founding member of Film South Asia, Kanak Dixit.

During the festival, an eclectic selection of award-winning films from different South Asian countries will be on display.

One of the films, Taangh (Longing), directed by Bani Singh. is partly shot in Lahore, and has won the best film award at the TFSA ‘22. As per its synopsis, against the backdrop of Partition, newly independent India’s first hockey team defeats England, their erstwhile coloniser, to win the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics. Six decades later, when Nandy Singh, a member of this iconic team suffers a stroke at the age of 84, his tenacious will to recover inspires his daughter to go on a journey to discover the champion he was before she was born.

Another film, ‘This Stained Dawn’ by Anam Abbas is about Aurat March Karachi’s feminists, who organise a woman’s march, despite opposition by the state, the media and radical religious right. Filmmaker Anam Abbas follows the march’s organisers as they negotiate a deeply surveilled, paranoia-inducing, and often physically violent space in the hope of spurring a revolution for women’s rights. A philosophical work, the documentary is not just about the Aurat March, but the act of political dissent organising itself.

‘Moon on the Man’ directed by Prince Shah is an observational documentary that questions the most basic assumptions of reality, perception and choices. At its heart is a multifaceted personality of Bombay who wrote songs for Guru Dutt amongst other achievements.

‘Gurkha Girl’ by Bishal Magar is about recruitment as news surfaces that Britain is recruiting Nepali girls in its British Gurkha regiments. Dilmaya, a young girl from a mountain village sees it as a life-changing opportunity and devotes all her time in preparation.

Yet another documentary film, ‘The City that Spoke to Me’ by Niharika Popli, follows two friends – Charu, who is deaf and Surbhi, a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). Through a series of conversations, one gets a glimpse into the lives of these two young women as they try to assert their space in a city. Interspersed with performances and interviews with a dancer, a drag performer, an actor and an ISL poet, the film explores various forms of visual language and how they help us understand agency, autonomy and care.

A selection of documentary films by young Pakistani filmmakers will also be screened at the festival. These include ‘Eid Mubarak’ by Mahnoor Euceph, ‘The Secret Life’ by Nadeem Al-Karimi, and ‘Rest in Paper’ by Puffball Studios, as well as some films by NCA graduates such as Barzakh by Moiz Tirmizi, Udeekan by Aiza Mustabeen, Shikaaf Bar Noor by Tabish Shargo and B for Naoo by Roohi Kashfi.

The festival will also feature an exhibition and a few thought provoking panel discussions themed around important topics of interest. These sessions include “Film as a Medium for Gender Activism” with Kanwal Khoosat, Sana Jafri, Leena Ghani and Nighat Said Khan as panelists, “Bringing South Asia Closer” with Kanak Dixit and Pawas Manandhar, “How to Navigate as a Young Filmmaker” with Farjad Nabi and a group of young filmmakers, and “Cultural Diplomacy and the Role of Film” with Sarmad Khoosat, Kanak Dixit and Salima Hashmi on the panel.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2023