Showgirls of Pakistan
| Showgirls of Pakistan | |
|---|---|
| File:Poster of Show Girls of Pakistan.jpg | |
| Directed by | Saad Khan |
| Written by | Saad Khan |
| Produced by | Saad Khan Anam Abbas |
| Cinematography | Anam Abbas |
| Edited by | Saad Khan Joey Chriqui |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
Showgirls of Pakistan is a 2020 documentary film by Lahore-born filmmaker Saad Khan, about the commercial Mujra industry of Pakistan.[1][2][3][4]
Background
Mujra is a dance form that emerged during the Mughal empire, practiced by courtesans for the elite classes of Northern India.[2] The documentary explores the prejudice, censorship, and misogynistic climate in which Mujra dancers work in modern-day Punjab, Pakistan.[1][4]
Music
The soundtrack of the film is composed of old melodies of Lollywood films from the 1960s and 1970s.[5]
Synopsis
Reception
The film was premiered in the IDFA Competition 2020.[6] It was selected by VICE for its non-fiction collection The Short List, the film is also available on their YouTube channel.[3][7] The film was positively reviewed by Foreign Policy,[1] Dawn,[8] Mint,[3] Business Doc Europe[9] and Upperstall.[2]
Controversy
Nick Fraser of BBC termed the documentary "Pak porn" during 17th Annual Hot Docs Forum. The director Saad Khan responded as "Nick saying it’s ‘Pak porn’ and slut shaming the women in the film is the same thing as my Dad going to those shows and then calling them whores".[10] Guy Lavie, channel manager for Israel's yesDocu and Brianna Little, development executive with Amazon Studios applauded the film, Brianna called the film "Incredible". Michael Kronish of Vice Canada called the film "a natural fit” for Vice.[11] Showgirls of Pakistan won $10,000 Corus-Hot Docs Forum pitch prize during the 2016 Hot Docs Forum.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mustefa, Zab. "'Showgirls of Pakistan' Doesn't Need Your Victim Narrative". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Khan, Omar Ali (2021-04-26). "Showgirls Of Pakistan". Upperstall.com. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "'Showgirls of Pakistan': Dial M for mujra". Mintlounge. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Khan, Saad. "'We navigate a man's world in female bodies': Surviving as a modern mujra dancer in Pakistan". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ↑ Showgirls of Pakistan | The Short List, retrieved 2022-03-15
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:1 - ↑ Showgirls of Pakistan | The Short List, retrieved 2022-03-11
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:7 - ↑ Mallett, Whitney (2016-05-05). "The Changing Face of Documentary Distribution: The 17th Annual Hot Docs Forum | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "The 2016 Hot Docs Forum Report, part three". Retrieved 2022-03-15.