The Pakistani feature film Lamha (English title:
Seedlings) will be premiering at the New York City International Film Festival
on Aug. 10 with a second screening on Pakistan Day, Aug. 14.
Along with the opportunity of being screened in the
Big Apple, the film has bagged nominations for the following: Best Picture,
Best Director (Mansoor Mujahid), Best Actress in a Lead Role (Aamina Sheikh),
Best Actor in a Lead Role (Mohib Mirza), Best Actor in a supporting Role (Gohar
Rasheed) and Best Original Screenplay (Summer Nicks).
Saman Malik sat down with the film’s
Pakistani-Canadian producer Meher Jaffri who is ecstatic at the thought of
premiering in one of foremost art and film hubs of the world.
SM: Tell me a
bit about yourself. How did your interest in film develop, and which filmmakers
are inspirations to you?
MJ: My interest in film probably comes from my
long-term fascination for theatre and the creative arts in general. I’ve always
been a bit of an observer and moving pictures as an audio- visual medium with
its ability to rouse and resonate emotionally is so fantastic, that it’s always
drawn me to it. I’ve been hot for Mira
Nair for quite sometime, probably since I watched Monsoon Wedding back in the
day. I love how she infuses her brand of mischief in all her movies and
portrays the South Asian narrative in a universal sort of language while
maintaining the cultural nuances and characteristics beautifully.
I studied Business at McGill University in Montreal,
as my father was adamant that a career in the creative arts was not practical
in nature. Though my business degree has gone a long way to help me
establishing Bodhicitta Works (with partners Summer Nicks and Craig Peter
Jones), I am pretty adamant about going to film school to study film. I believe
every craft needs certain training and discipline attributed to it in order to
embrace it holistically.
SM: Could you
tell our readers a bit about your film, Seedlings (Lamha)?
MJ: Seedlings (Lamha) is a human-interest drama
about the complexities of human and familial relationships in the aftermath of
a tragic accident.It revolves around three lives that are affected. It speaks
about loss, anger, blame, forgiveness and redemption.
SM: Your film is
premiering at the NYCIFF, a festival which recognizes cultural diversity, and
has been nominated in a number of categories. What does this mean for you as an
Canadian-Pakistani film maker?
MJ: It is fantastic to be part of a festival that
stresses on cultural diversity. I am so thankful to the NYIFF for giving an
opportunity to international filmmakers to showcase their work. As a Canadian I
am used to the importance placed on cultural diversity. Interestingly enough,
our film has faced some opposition in Pakistan. There are sections of people
who have said that it is a film that is different from the mainstream formula.
Of course the industry there is still in its infancy and Canada’s film heritage
is huge; so there is a sense of bright-eyed hope and excitement all round.
SM: As a young
Canadian-Pakistani producer, what changes do you want to see in the cinema
scene of both countries?
MJ: The Pakistani film industry needs training in
technical skills in both film and television which is the primary medium of
entertainment there. There is absolutely no support from the public sector in
any way, no funding for films or support for film programs and initiatives.
Privately too, people are hesitant to invest in films as it is not a familiar
investment option. There are not nearly enough cinemas or distributors and it
has so far been run as a sort of oligarchy. The one thing that I am confident
of is the passion and talent – though of
course like anything it needs to be nurtured with better training programs.
I have not yet worked in the Canadian film industry
to know its dynamics from a personal level – but soon!
SM: What has
been the response to the film in Pakistan? And are you planning to release the
film in Canada?
MJ: The fans have been fantastic!!! I’m so floored
by the people in Pakistan for voicing their opinions and supporting the film in
all ways possible: through Facebook, Twitter, comments on online news articles
and You Tube, calls to any TV or radio shows we’ve been on, etc. We are
definitely shopping for distribution in Canada as it is home to a large
Pakistani and Indian community. Fingers crossed!
SM: What’s your
next project and when can we see it?
MJ: We are working on our sci-fi feature film
Kolachi and also on our next collaboration with Pakistani musical prodigy (and
2012 TED Fellow) Usman Riaz for whom we produced his first short musical film,
Ruckus. This one is called Waves and based on a beautiful piano piece – a very
high concept and original piece. Other than that, we are exploring projects with a few partners which I can’t
divulge right now – but they are feature film related!
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