Anam Abbas (b. 1985, Pakistan) is a producer, director and cinematographer. She has studied Cinema at the University of Toronto, and Documentary Production at Sheridan College, Canada. Abbas runs Other Memory Media in Pakistan and Zunn Productions in Canada. She is a Locarno Open Doors 2017 alumni, Berlinale Talents 2018 and 2020 fellow, Film Independent Global Media Makers 2019 Fellow and the American Film Showcase Documentary Development Lab 2019 Fellow. She is a founding member of the Documentary Association of Pakistan. Her short film Lucky Irani Circus (2015), is an ode to Pakistan's hardest working circus troupe. Whimsical vignettes of the off-stage lives of its child stars and struggling families explore the heartaches and joys of circus life
Madiha Aijaz (b. 1981-2019, Pakistan) was a filmmaker, photographer and writer. She obtained an MFA in Photography from Parsons – The New School for Design, NY. She explored how people experience pleasure and privacy in reordered urban spaces. She was a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship (2010) and the ROSL Visual Arts fellowship (2017). Her work has been exhibited locally and internationally. These Silences Are All the Words (2018), Aijaz’s observational documentary on public libraries in Karachi, Pakistan, provides an entry point into present-day Karachi, where irredeemable changes feel imminent. While the libraries become a bastion for the literary tradition of Urdu, their frequent visitors lament the increasing dominance of English – a residual reminder of colonialism, partition and the ‘globalising’ present. Wrapped in quiet solitude, seated readers are shown hiding away from the hustle and bustle of urban life that can be seen outside.
Umar Riaz (b. 1986, Pakistan) is a Student Academy Award nominated filmmaker, born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan and currently based in New York City and Lahore, Pakistan. In 2009 he graduated with a degree in English Literature and Cinema Studies from New York University's College of Arts and Science. He then graduated from the Graduate Film Program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. His award winning films have screened at film festivals internationally, including at the 65th Locarno Film Festival. He was Artistic Consultant for director Terrence Malick on 'Knight of Cups' (2016). Gul-e-Daudi (The Chrysanthemum) (2016), is a fictional short musical film for record label EMI Pakistan, made in tribute to legendary Pakistani singer Noor Jehan. The film follows a love affair which spans a lifetime - exploring themes of love, loss, attachment and memory. Last Remarks (2012) is set on the eve of the creation of Pakistan in 1947, when the British rulers of the Indian subcontinent prepare to depart the region amidst waves of ethnic violence. Arastu Jan, a troubled and isolated native servant to a British master, takes a dose of poison and finds himself with ten minutes to record the confession of his brief lifetime. Based on 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe
Saim Sadiq (b. 1991, Pakistan) is a filmmaker with an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a graduate degree in film directing from Columbia University. His short film Nice Talking to You was an official selection at South by Southwest 2019, Palm Springs International Shortsfest 2019 and won Vimeo's Best Director award at Columbia University Film Festival 2018. The film also made the BAFTA Shortlist for Best Student Film. His latest film Darling, a short based on Gulaab, was an official selection at the 76th Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival 2019. Darling (2019) depicts an erotic dance theatre in Lahore as it prepares for a new show just as a sacrificial goat goes missing, a dreamy trans girl vies for the spotlight, and a naive young boy falls in love.
Madiha Aijaz (b. 1981-2019, Pakistan) was a filmmaker, photographer and writer. She obtained an MFA in Photography from Parsons – The New School for Design, NY. She explored how people experience pleasure and privacy in reordered urban spaces. She was a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship (2010) and the ROSL Visual Arts fellowship (2017). Her work has been exhibited locally and internationally. These Silences Are All the Words (2018), Aijaz’s observational documentary on public libraries in Karachi, Pakistan, provides an entry point into present-day Karachi, where irredeemable changes feel imminent. While the libraries become a bastion for the literary tradition of Urdu, their frequent visitors lament the increasing dominance of English – a residual reminder of colonialism, partition and the ‘globalising’ present. Wrapped in quiet solitude, seated readers are shown hiding away from the hustle and bustle of urban life that can be seen outside.
Umar Riaz (b. 1986, Pakistan) is a Student Academy Award nominated filmmaker, born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan and currently based in New York City and Lahore, Pakistan. In 2009 he graduated with a degree in English Literature and Cinema Studies from New York University's College of Arts and Science. He then graduated from the Graduate Film Program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. His award winning films have screened at film festivals internationally, including at the 65th Locarno Film Festival. He was Artistic Consultant for director Terrence Malick on 'Knight of Cups' (2016). Gul-e-Daudi (The Chrysanthemum) (2016), is a fictional short musical film for record label EMI Pakistan, made in tribute to legendary Pakistani singer Noor Jehan. The film follows a love affair which spans a lifetime - exploring themes of love, loss, attachment and memory. Last Remarks (2012) is set on the eve of the creation of Pakistan in 1947, when the British rulers of the Indian subcontinent prepare to depart the region amidst waves of ethnic violence. Arastu Jan, a troubled and isolated native servant to a British master, takes a dose of poison and finds himself with ten minutes to record the confession of his brief lifetime. Based on 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe
Saim Sadiq (b. 1991, Pakistan) is a filmmaker with an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a graduate degree in film directing from Columbia University. His short film Nice Talking to You was an official selection at South by Southwest 2019, Palm Springs International Shortsfest 2019 and won Vimeo's Best Director award at Columbia University Film Festival 2018. The film also made the BAFTA Shortlist for Best Student Film. His latest film Darling, a short based on Gulaab, was an official selection at the 76th Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival 2019. Darling (2019) depicts an erotic dance theatre in Lahore as it prepares for a new show just as a sacrificial goat goes missing, a dreamy trans girl vies for the spotlight, and a naive young boy falls in love.