Of ethnography and social change

Screenings of short-films continue on the second day of Mini-Input.

KARACHI: At the fifth Mini-Input (International Public Television) film seminar held at Goethe Institut on February 17, the theme for three of the four films screened was social change and its impact, whereas the last one dealt with ethnographic issues of Australian aborigines.

The second day opened with the screening of Moiz Masood Sultani’s Children Behind Bars, that dealt with juvenile prisoners of Karachi who are behind bars for petty crimes. However, Sultani’s film touched upon these topics leaving out details.

Summaiya Hafeez, Talha Ahmed and Ali Ahmed Brohi presented their joint work titled Open the Blindfolds, giving an overview of how small communities residing in Karachi are a part of the bigger metropolis. They chose to interview missionary schools. According to Hafeez, “Our basic purpose was to show the world that we still live in harmony, contrary to the misperception about us being terrorists.”

“It was filmmaking for the sake of societal change. We want to promote the softer image of Pakistan,” added Brohi.

William Gilcher, who moderated the event, said, “Any glimpse coming from Pakistan is very important.”

Being screened at the Input Budapest 2010, The Women of Brukman showed the struggle of Argentinean factory-workers, mostly women, for their rights. Explaining the short-film, Gilcher said, “This film showed the workers’ passion and commitment to their cause and their process of struggle.”

The final film called Contact showed how a patrol-officer in 1964 rescued a group of aboriginal women and children, who later retell their tales to their younger lot. For Gilcher, it was a “moving experience to see them and a little glimpse of their lives thrown together.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2011.