Mo Naqvi

Bio

Emmy winning filmmaker and Independent Spirit Award Nominee, Mohammed Naqvi’s previous documentaries include Among The Believers, Pakistan’s Hidden Shame (Channel 4 UK, NHK, SVT), Shabeena’s Quest (Al-Jazeera), Shame (Showtime), and Terror’s Children (Discovery-NY Times). As a fellow of both the National Endowment of the Arts and the American Film Institute, Mo is also an alumnus of film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, Pusan, IDFA, and Tribeca. Mohammed has also produced two narrative features Big River and I Will Avenge You Iago, and recently directed the short film “Happy Things In Sorrow Times”. Originally from Pakistan, Mohammed spends his time between Karachi and New York.

Reflection

Filming Sacred was somewhat of a spiritual reawakening for me. Like many Muslims growing up in a religiously conservative Pakistan – what I knew of Islam was filtered through religious clerics and I found their teachings limited and shallow. Consequently, I began to view Hajj and the rituals associated with my faith as nothing more than pomp and circumstance. Meeting Bashira, however, was a real eye-opener for me. Here was someone who had suffered immense loss and had spent much of her life in pervasive and consistent rage. By witnessing her preform Hajj and letting go of her anger, I was able to effectively transcend my own definition of Hajj. It wasn’t just about ritual – it was about cutting ties to your own narrative and being reborn.