Islamabad:The Asian Study Group (ASG), in collaboration with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), has organised a ‘Travelling Film South Asia 2010’. The twelve documentaries are outstanding examples of non-fiction productions of the last two years. They have been selected from the 35 documentaries screened in the competitive section of Film South Asia 2010.

On day 1, Thursday (April 15) from 6:00 p.m. onwards ‘Come to My Country’ Journeys with Kabir and Friends (98’) India, 2008, director Shabnam Virmani. A journey in search of the ‘des,’ or country, invoked by the writings of Kabir the 15th century mystic poet of north India. This film interweaves the stories of two people from two very different backgrounds — Indian folk singer Prahlad Tippanya and North American scholar Linda Hess. Where is Kabir’s country? The answer is elusive in the journey through song and poem into these two lives, brought together in an unlikely friendship by the cross-cultural resonance of Kabir. From 7:45 - 8:30 p.m. ‘Mayomi’ (50’) Sri Lanka, 2008, director Carol Salter. In exploration of a young Sri Lankan woman’s unconditional love of and obligations to her family, the film is an intimate portrait of the protagonist Mayomi’s struggle to gain independence while holding her troublesome family together in post-tsunami Sri Lanka. Having lost her soldier husband to the Tamil Tigers and her mother and home to the 2004 tsunami, Mayomi is the only female member left in her family. She single-handedly cares for her disabled father, her alcoholic brother and his abandoned six-year-old son. Still homeless, she knows that this is unlikely to change in a country crippled by an inefficient bureaucracy and corruption. As Mayomi struggles to overcome these obstacles, her optimism and courage drive her forward in this moving and tender film.

On Day 2, Friday (April 16) from 6:00 p.m. onwards film ‘Children of God.’ (89’) Nepal 2008 will be screened. The film is directed by Yi Seung-jun. Where there is life, there is death. At the crematorium at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, there are many whose livelihoods depend on the ritual of death. Among them are the children who live off the food and money drifting in the water after being used as offerings for the funerals. Aryaghat is a holy ground for the Hindus, but for these children it is a playground, a home and also a place where they can earn a living. ‘Children of God’ takes an in-depth look at the children who struggle just to stay alive. ‘The Salt Stories’ (84’) Joint Winner of the Second Best Film Award at FSA 09’ India, 2008, director Lalit Vachani. In 1930, a group of Indians led by a frail, elderly man marched 241 miles. They marched for salt. Mahatma Gandhi was able to craft an anti-colonial, nationalist movement around a basic issue of livelihood: the right of Indians to make and consume their own salt. Almost eight decades later, the film retraces Gandhi’s steps, following the famous Dandi salt march trail in a film that focuses on the issues of livelihood in modern, globalising India.

On day 3, Saturday (April 17) from 4:00 p.m. onwards ‘Saamam’ (The Music) (42’) India, 2009, director Ramachandran K. An attempt to condense the huge body of memories about a Carnatic musical colossus, the late M D Ramanathan, ‘Saamam’ is a humble tribute to an unparalleled musical genius. ‘The Way of the Road.’ (60’) Nepal, 2009, directors Ben and Cosmo Campbell. In 2012, a road through Nepal’s Rasuwa district will reconnect an ancient Himalayan trade route with global traffic. The film looks through Tamang villagers’ eyes at the cultural and economic interaction that flows through this borderland including a dramatic re-enactment of Tibetan and Nepali armies in conflict. But what do the villagers whose lives it is intended to benefit think about where the road will run? Afghan Girls Can Kick (50’) Afghanistan, 2007, director Bahareh Hosseini. An intimate fly-on-the-wall portrait of teenage girls breaking the stereotypical mould set for them by a conservative society. They become player in Afghanistan’s first ever women’s national football team. ‘Afghan Girls Can Kick’ follows the team during preparations for its first competitive international matches. Concentrating on a few of the player, the film captures the journey from their youth under the harsh Taliban regime to life in today’s Afghanistan. Many members of the team speak of how football helps them envision the future in a country beset by insecurity and marked by suicide bombings. ‘The Promised Land’ (90’) Bangladesh, 2008, director Tanvir Mokammel, joint winner of the Second Best Film Award at FSA ‘09. A tale of statelessness spanning six decades and three countries, The Promised Land is about the 160,000 strong Urdu-speaking community of Bangladesh, living isolated lives in 116 camps across the country. The terms ‘Urdu-speakers’, ‘Non-Bengalis’ and ‘Biharis’ are used interchangeably to refer to the Muslim people, who originally emigrated from India to the newly created East Pakistan in 1947 and afterwards. Many of them originated from the state of Bihar and were fleeing large-scale communal massacres. Three decades later, during the struggle for independence in Bangladesh in 1971, this community became embroiled in conflict. Branded as collaborators against Bangladesh’s independence, this moment was defining one for the Urdu-speakers, one that has left a devastating legacy.

On day 4, Sunday (April 18) 4:00 p.m. onwards ‘The Battle for Pakistan’ (40’) Pakistan, 2009, director Maheen Zia Investigating the nexus between extremism and Pakistani ‘madrassas’, The Battle for Pakistan explores the factors behind the mushrooming of ‘madrassas’, government attempts at regulation and the socio-political dynamics at play.

‘The Last Rites’ (17’) Winner of the Ram Bahadur Trophy for Best Film at FSA ‘09 Bangladesh, 2008, directed by Yasmine Kabir A silent film depicting the ship-breaking yards of Chittagong, Bangladesh, a final destination for ships too old to ply the oceans. Every year, hundreds of ships are sent to these yards. And every year, thousands of people come to these yards in search of jobs. Risking their lives to save themselves from hunger, they breathe in asbestos dust and toxic waste. The ship has to die and man has to help it die as if man and vessel were united in common bondage. ‘The Last Rites’ bears testament to the resilience of the human spirit. ‘Out of Thin Air’ (50’) India, 2009, directed by Samreen Farooqui and Shabani Hassanwalia. The Ladakhi film industry has been growing by leaps and bounds making 28 films just in the last six years. But the lives of the locals involved in the films are not spent giving interviews and walking the red carpets. Instead, everyday people with full time jobs as restaurant owners, police officers and even monks double up as producers, directors and actors. ‘Out of Thin Air’ takes viewers into the lives of these figures from local cinema, and provides a look into the Ladakh missing from postcards. ‘In Search of the Riyal’ (86’) Nepal, 2009, director Kesang Tseten. They are Nepal’s oil — one million Nepali’s that work in the Gulf, earning only US$ five-seven a day, to keep their families back home alive. The film explores Nepal’s migrant world: young Nepali’s from disadvantaged communities who undergo minimal skills training to prepare for the Gulf. The disillusioning, sad but at times empowering, experience of Nepalis in Qatar, rarely captured due to the Gulf’s sensitivity to scrutiny of their labour practices. ‘In Search of the Riyal’ explores the recurring lure of going abroad that often captures the returnee and, finally, the enormity of the journey.

The films will start promptly at times mentioned. Attendees are requested to be in their seats at the start of the film so that you do not disturb other viewers. Mobile phones should be put off before start of films. There will be a short intermission between the screenings. The news