In the wake of her beloved grandfather’s death, Mariam (Ramesha Nawal) and her mother, Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar), can barely begin mourning before the human vultures swoop in, intent on wresting their family home from them. In turn, when Mariam’s secret romance with a fellow medical student (Omar Javaid) meets an untimely end, she’s plagued by malevolent forces that pursue her through the streets of Karachi, Pakistan. With every kindness coming with a garrote wire attached, Mariam and Fariha must rely on one another to survive.
Returning to his birthplace, writer-director Zarrar Kahn immerses us in an oppressive patriarchal society where misogyny runs rampant, leaving Mariam and Fariha under constant threat. But, in pitting them against these seemingly indomitable forces, he reveals their deep wells of resolve. As Kahn masterfully ratchets up the tension, we witness an initial struggle for agency become a captivating bid for empowerment.
From Pakistan, a Vivid Psychological Thriller That Tackles Grief, Ghosts and the Patriarchy
Hollywood Reporter
September 29 & October 1: Q&A with director Zarrar Kahn & crew
Presented by
Series Media Partner
Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohammad Ali Hashmi
Canada/Pakistan
2022
Northern Lights
In Urdu with English subtitles
Sexual Discrimination
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Shant Joshi, Todd Brown, Maxime Cottray
Producer
Anam Abbas, Hamza Bangash, Associate produced by Carol Ann Noronha
Screenwriter
Zarrar Kahn, Mohammad Ali Hashmi
Cinematography
Aigul Nurbulatova
Editor
Craig Scorgie, Zarrar Kahn
Production Design
Matti Malik
Original Music
Kalaisan Kalaichelvan
Director
Zarrar Kahn
Zarrar Kahn is an award-winning Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker whose film In Flames is the first South Asian Horror to premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director’s Fortnight. He is an alumnus of the TIFF Talent Lab, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Open Doors Locarno, Asian Film Academy and Director’s Lab program at the Canadian Film Centre. His works have been screened and awarded in over 70+ film festivals worldwide, including TIFF, Locarno, and BFI London. Born in Karachi, and currently based out of Toronto, Kahn is committed to telling stories that amplify historically marginalized communities.
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret in Their Eyes
This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!
The Haunting
Directed by Robert Wise in 1963, The Haunting is a classic exercise in the suggestive power of cinema, adapted from Shirley Jackson's 1959 best-seller, The Haunting of Hill House, a provocative blend of supernatural and psychological horror.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.
Possible Love
Lee Chang-dong’s first film since Burning (2018) is a sardonic, slow-burning satire about two couples: a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy businessman, and a working-class family struggling to make ends meet after the husband has been laid off.
