The Filmmakers
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From filmmakers Sabiha Sumar and
S. Sathananthan:
We hope that the film will serve as a reference point for political events in the near future. We also believe it will show both Pakistanis and others how far the country could have progressed if not for the self-defeating, text-bookish criticisms of President Musharraf that have stymied his modernization programs. We hope the contrast between President Musharraf’s firm handling of religious extremists and the current government’s weak-kneed cave-ins to extremists’ demands will energize the people to resolutely confront these extremists.
Their three favorite films:
Three Rooms of Melancholy
Megane
Om Shanti Om
Their advice for aspiring filmmakers:
Creativity and endurance are the two essential conditions for success.
Their most inspirational food for making independent film:
A filmmaker’s personal life experiences make for the most inspirational food.
Bios
Sabiha Sumar
Director
Born in Karachi, Sabiha Sumar studied filmmaking and political science at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and read history and political thought at the University of Cambridge.
She has directed both documentaries and narrative films that have won worldwide acclaim. Her debut documentary, Who will Cast the First Stone won Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Film Festival in 1998 and her first feature film Khamosh Pani/Silent Waters won the Golden Leopard for Best Film and the Leopard for Best Actress at the Locarno International Film Festival.
Currently she is working on a new narrative film Rafina for ZDF/ARTE.
S. Sathananthan
Co-Director
S. Sathananthan was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He read for the Ph D degree at the University of Cambridge. He co-founded Vidhi Films and has produced several films that have catalyzed critical debates on social change.
His films include Suicide Warriors, a documentary about the women suicide brigade of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Khamosh Pani / Silent Waters, a feature film about the growth of Islamic extremism in Pakistan.
