Here
is the fundraising video-pitch for my new Pakistani feature film project to be
released in cinemas all over Pakistan.
My
Story
My
name is Ali Kapadia – a Pakistani filmmaker from San Francisco. Stories have
fascinated me growing up in Pakistan. I watched a ton of movies and imagined
how I would make my own when I grew up but never quite figured how to and it
turned in to a lost passion. I joined a computer school just like every other
Pakistani boy I knew. It was really later in life that I realized I was just,
born to be a storyteller. It kept chasing me. Over time, I have taught myself
from scratch and ended up working on several award winning films.
I
had treated filmmaking as a side hobby for years and even managed to work with
big Pakistani directors in my spare time. I finished my computer education, won
the annual national Interactive Multimedia championship twice along the way
(ACM – GIKI) – once for making a versus fighting game engine (it’s like Street
Fighter) – and got offered a job in a
Silicon Valley based technology firm. I was eventually transferred to their
headquarters in San Francisco USA, but over the last 7 years, the fire of
filmmaking has slowly consumed my heart entirely. It is what wakes me up in the
morning now, it is what I think about all day, all night, scenes, characters,
shots, sequences, all written down and timed to the millisecond. I have made
several short films by now, every vacation over the last several years has been
a short-film project (links below). Now, I am embarking on the biggest dream of
my life, to direct and make my first full length feature film.. to become a
full time Pakistani feature film director.
(Pic
below – Me as an assistant director on a full scale production)
As
of April 25th 2012, I’ve given up my life in San Francisco to move back to
Pakistan, to make this film. As I write this, I am on my flight back to
Pakistan. I’ve given up my job, my apartment, sold all my belongings and am
leaving everything else behind to focus and gather every resource possible to
make this film. I’ve organized an excellent film team in Pakistan of artists
that I admire. They are good! My friends are supporting me in every way they
can and have rounded up $25k to get me started … yeah they’re great! But
unfortunately, feature films are expensive and I need at least an additional
$75k to be able to complete and release this film. That is why, I have come to
you.
My Previous Work
The
first film I ever made – Evolution Man – A stop motion animation music video
made with legos for a Pakistani band.
It
was ranked at no.6 in 2005 on the best Pakistani videos countdown of all time
countdown by Indus Music TV (now MTV Pakistan)
Link:
http://goo.gl/xWJop
Visualization
of a poem – Tum Yeh Kehtay Ho – Faiz Ahmed Faiz is one of the most popular
poets of the South Asian region, a voice against oppression and inequality.
This was a visualize of one of my favorite poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz poem.
Link:
http://goo.gl/TAAtx
Behind
the scenes: http://goo.gl/luPd6
What
Pakistan Needs Now – An animated short I made for a film competition held by
TEDxKarachi on the subject of “What Pakistan Needs Now”. It won the competition.
Link:
http://goo.gl/CEztt
Voices
From Pakistan – In 2010 Authorities in Pakistan banned Facebook over religious
issues which began a new debate on the Muslim world’s reaction. This
documentary brought to light the voices of a diverse set of Pakistanis on this
debate.
Link:
http://goo.gl/9dfIj
Seerat
– Seerat is a series of short documentaries taking an up close and personal
look at the different types of Pakistanis, their values and beliefs on how they
look at life and what keeps them going.
Link:
http://goo.gl/wPbgy
You
can find more of my work and look up my other activities on my
website:alikapadiafilms.com/. Here’s my fan page: facebook.com/alikapadiafilms.
The
Film’s Background
Pakistan
is a country surrounded by complex issues and I am passionate about addressing
them. One of these issues is Pakistan’s relationship with India.
Ever
since the independence of Pakistan and India in 1947, they have repeatedly been
at war with each other and there seems to be no end to it. The two countries
have fought 4 wars with hundreds of thousands of casualties and refugees. Even
when both countries have half their population living on less than $2/day, they
spend more on their military than education, poverty relief and social services
combined. The strife is fueled by political interests that benefit from such
conflict and the conflict has no place in today’s world.
At
the center of the conflict lies Kashmir, a disputed territory between Pakistan
and India. A mystical, beautiful place situated in the Himalayan highlands
between Pakistan and India. Our film takes place in the mountains of Kashmir
between the border of Pakistan and India, the epicenter of the conflict. Yes,
my team and I will be traveling in the midst of this troubled yet incredibly
beautiful region and shooting the film there. We want this film to cut in to
the heart of this issue.
The Plot
Log line:
A
Pakistani and an Indian, 2 soldiers trapped together, discover more than their
differences, that conquers their animosity and leads them to question their
pre-conceived biases, moving towards profound self awareness, and thus an
illuminated love for humanity, that ultimately transcends all distances.
Synopsis:
2008
– Once again at the very brink of an all out war, Pakistan and India, the enemy
neighbors are in a deadlock over the massive mumbai attacks that have swept the
two countries in a renewed wave of intense conflict and blame game and threats
of a full fledge war.
Kashmir,
Pak-India Border: Thrown into the midst of a raging thunderstorm, an Indian
Major Ashok and a Pakistani foot soldier Qasim lose their way in the vast
Himalayan mountains. The enemies come face to face and a tough fight ensues, the Indian major gets
captured.
Stranded
inside a cave, waiting for the storm to subside, the 2 enemies slowly begin to
learn about each other, to trust, each sharing their life’s journey, their joys
and sorrows – all that has shaped their lives. The 2 unlikely friends help each
other grow and find their true paths.
When
the storm eventually clears Qasim has to
make the ultimate decision .. will he turn Ashok in and gain professional
merits for once.. or set him free and lose face in front of his fellow soldiers
yet again….
The
universe has brought these 2 lost souls together so that each can understand
and grow beyond. It is the hand of destiny at work, the intense sandstorm, and
this moment in time.
The Purpose
The
film has a simple, yet powerful message. All of us are humans. The tags and
titles that define us are purely man made. To argue and kill over such is
pointless.
This
movie is about bringing peace to the Indian Subcontinent which is home to 1.4
billion people. It is about our common humanity that gets lost in the vagaries
of politics, ethnicities and war. By supporting this movie, you will help
spread the message of peace and humanity to a region.
Pakistan
has a small struggling film industry, for various reasons. Films are about
character developments, life challenges and role models. Intellectual poverty
is a real problem in Pakistan and a vibrant film industry promotes personality
education. Your support on this film will be a fresh step towards bringing
encouragement and activity in the Pakistani cinema’s revival.
Current Status
We
are now seeking funding for the film. It has been currently funded through
friends and family to a tune of $35k. An additional $200k needs to be raised.
If you’re interested in investing, or would like to help us fundraise, please contactus here. We will get back to you with further details on the shareholding and
profit sharing structure, or the commissions structure.
We
are currently in discussions with distributors in Pakistan and India to show
this movie in theaters in both countries. We are currently in discussions with
some major actors in Pakistan and India.
You
can play your part in helping us make this film by liking this page below and
sharing it with your friends.
Thank
you!
Article Source : http://www.alikapadiafilms.com/peace-film/
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