SSAI SANGLAAP: Tongues on Fire - UK Asian Film Festival

Abstract: 

Tongues on Fire -UK Asian Film Festival will be celebrating its 25^th year on the day at a reception and film screening event marking the richness and vibrancy of South Asian culture, history, arts, storytelling, and self-expression. For 25 years it has done so by opening doors and providing a platform for emerging talent, independent film and arts with a link to South Asia.

Azmaish: A journey through the Subcontinent will be screened following the recorded introductory comments by the film's director Sabiha Sumar. Sumar’s inspiring and probing documentary explores the complex relationship between India and her native country Pakistan. Travelling the two nations, Sumar and Indian actress Kalki Koechlin (Margarita with a Straw), witness radically changing political landscapes, their encounters giving rise to a personal and poetic search to uncover the voices of the silent majority, particularly those of women.

At home, Sumar has candid interviews with Pakistanis from different classes and regions, conversations where she is often the lone woman at the table. In India, Sumar and Koechlin speak with political figures and ordinary people, examining the rise of Hindu fundamentalism. As they despair at the decline of secular thought and the narrowing of expression they see in both nations, they also uncover the shared humanity beyond the divisive political rhetoric.

Sabiha Sumar is a multiple award-winning filmmaker and a Sundance alumnus with over 25 years of experience in the industry. As a writer, director and producer, she has made narrative features as well as documentaries. For Pakistani TV Channels, she has directed drama series and talk shows; and has been the Creative Head for technical training workshops in camera, sound and light. Her most notable films are Who Will Cast the First Stone (Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival), Khamosh Pani/Silent Waters (Golden Leopard, Locarno Film Festival and 16 other awards worldwide), Dinner with the President (EU Best Documentary award and Anasy Award, Abu Dhabi) and Azmaish, a journey through the subcontinent. She produced the Academy Award and Emmy winner Saving Face. Her works have been screened at major film festivals such as Sundance, Tiff, MoMa, Locarno and BFI LFF. 

The film screening will start  at 7 pm.

Convenors: Dr Sanjukta Ghosh (SOAS South Asia Institute) and Tongues on Fire.