SANDSTORM/MULAQAT

FICTION - 2021- Directed by Seemab GuL

Venice Biennale (IN COMPETITION) World Premiere 2021

Sundance International Film Festival 2022
AFI Film Festival 2022
Fribourg International Film Festival 2022
Festival du Nouveau Cinema 2022
Upsala International Film Festival 2021

Synopsis

Zara, a schoolgirl in Karachi, shares a sensual dance video with her virtual boyfriend, who then
blackmails her. Caught between his manipulative behavior and the desire to experience love on
her own terms, Zara searches for the strength to reject the confines of a patriarchal society

DIRECTORS STATEMENT:

This coming-of-age story navigates the tricky terrain of internet dating in a conservative Muslim society.
The film questions the objectification of the female body and its relationship to honor in Pakistani culture.
Focusing on female agency, this personal and political film dramatizes the desire to gain freedom from
harsh societal constraints.

Credits

Leading cast: Parizae Fatima, Hamza Mushtaq
Cast: Ayesha Shoaib Ahmed, Nabila Khan, Aun Ali Saleem, Masooma Halai Khawaja, Qasim Ali
Producer: Abid Aziz Merchant
Director, producer, writer and editor: Seemab Gul
Cinematographer: Alberto Balazs
Production Designer: Hira Mansoor
Editor: Raluca Petre
Sound design: Andrej Bako
Music composer: Hollie Buhagiar
Colourist: Sara Buxton