Left in awe.
Its been 3 days since Kara Film Festival started, and by the looks of it, its been a success. While speaking to Maheen Zia, part of the Kara Film Society, she said that the attendance has doubled as compared to last year, and the Festival has been a success as yet. She expects the rest of the Festival to draw large crowds as well.
Tonight I saw Crossing The Lines - a documentary made for the Eqbal Ahmed Foundation. One of the directors, the respected and renowned Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy was present at the screening as well. Being very honest, the 45 minutes of the documentary were by far, the most riveting minutes I have spent in my life.
Pervez Hoodbhoy introduced the documentary by saying that he felt that he had to make this film. Mr Hoodbhoy said, 'There is no way you can escape the fundamental core issue that divides the countries' and that this [the topic - Kashmir] is something that has to be talked about rationally. The purpose of the movie, according to him, is to rise above our common prejudices and somehow rise above what our governments tell us. The documentary is a point of view that may not satisfy everyone, but is designed to inform people.
Following the introduction, the documentary was aired. Crossing The Lines is a run down of the events in Kashmir, the constant wars and disputes and the lives of the Kashmiris, torn apart by war and strife. They also highlighted the religious extremists on both sides of the borders, that have fuelled this dispute. The makers of the documentary have attempted, quite successfully, to present an unbiased set of facts. At the end, Pervez Hoodbhoy, also the narrator of the documentary, summed it up by saying that there are two ways to look at a solution for resolving the dispute - either through a division of Kashmir, or to look for ways that will let both parties co-exist in peace.
A rather interesting Q and A session followed, where Dr. Hoodbhoy candidly admitted that there is no solution to Kashmir. All in all, Crossing The Lines was an eye opener and just makes one realize how helpless the situation in Kashmir is. For me, it was an honor to hear the man air his thoughts and views and meet him (even if it was for ten seconds). I recommend the documentary to all - its a must watch.
Tonight I saw Crossing The Lines - a documentary made for the Eqbal Ahmed Foundation. One of the directors, the respected and renowned Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy was present at the screening as well. Being very honest, the 45 minutes of the documentary were by far, the most riveting minutes I have spent in my life.
Pervez Hoodbhoy introduced the documentary by saying that he felt that he had to make this film. Mr Hoodbhoy said, 'There is no way you can escape the fundamental core issue that divides the countries' and that this [the topic - Kashmir] is something that has to be talked about rationally. The purpose of the movie, according to him, is to rise above our common prejudices and somehow rise above what our governments tell us. The documentary is a point of view that may not satisfy everyone, but is designed to inform people.
Following the introduction, the documentary was aired. Crossing The Lines is a run down of the events in Kashmir, the constant wars and disputes and the lives of the Kashmiris, torn apart by war and strife. They also highlighted the religious extremists on both sides of the borders, that have fuelled this dispute. The makers of the documentary have attempted, quite successfully, to present an unbiased set of facts. At the end, Pervez Hoodbhoy, also the narrator of the documentary, summed it up by saying that there are two ways to look at a solution for resolving the dispute - either through a division of Kashmir, or to look for ways that will let both parties co-exist in peace.
A rather interesting Q and A session followed, where Dr. Hoodbhoy candidly admitted that there is no solution to Kashmir. All in all, Crossing The Lines was an eye opener and just makes one realize how helpless the situation in Kashmir is. For me, it was an honor to hear the man air his thoughts and views and meet him (even if it was for ten seconds). I recommend the documentary to all - its a must watch.
posted by atrophying at 1:08 AM
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