ISLAMABAD: South Asian Film Festival Montreal proved triumphant for Pakistani stories with “After Sabeen,” a documentary short on Sabeen Mahmud taking home the price for Director’s Choice Award for Courage in Cinema.
German filmmaker Schokofeh Kamiz’s “After Sabeen,” tells the story of the aftermath of the late civil rights activist following her brutal assassination in Karachi. Mahmud who was the director of The Second Floor (T2F), a hub of learning, discussion and protest in Karachi was gunned down while traveling in her car.
The film focuses mainly on Mahenaz Mahmud, Sabeen’s mother, who was sitting beside Sabeen when she was assassinated, and sustained injuries in the attack. The film opens with a haunting and moving shot of the grieving mom watering a tree that was planted in her memory by the traffic signal where Sabeen was shot.
Kamiz’s documentary short features interviews with her grandmother, her friends, and supporters including author Mohammad Hanif, architect and Pakistan Chowk Community Center director Marvi Mazhar, and Seema Malik and focussed on how Mahmud’s quest for women’s rights, freedom, and transparency by the state ultimately led to the end of her life.
“After Sabeen,” was one of three Pakistani documentaries to take home awards at the festival. Taimur Rahim’s “With Bells on Her Feet” a documentary short on classical dancing icon Sheema Kermani, following her career spanning decade with a focus on her opposition and social rights movements during the regime of General Zia Ul Haq, took home two prizes, Best Documentary Short and Audience Choice.
“Indus Blues” by Jawad Sharif also took home an award at the film festival, took home the Jury Award for Best Feature Documentary. “Indus Blues,” tells the ongoing story of Pakistan’s dying classical music industry — both the production of instruments and the talent to play them and how changing regimes and the growing fundamentalist mentality toward music in Pakistan is killing off genres of music and indigenous culture.
“Indus Blues” most recently screened in Pakistan at the Islamabad Literary Festival in August.
