A documentary on identity conflicts.
Woman out of Pakistan
“Woman out of Pakistan” is an in-progress feature length documentary. It was made possible through the AAUW International Fellowship award. It went on hold due to Covid-19 and the global shutdown, and will resume upon new grant applications.
The film is an exploration of an invisible group- Pakistani women who have come to live in the West. What does this mean for their identity? How do their values change or remain the same?
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The move from a patriarchal, collectivist country that is homogenously Muslim to a diverse and secular country that focuses on individuality, is a journey that has not been explored without pandering to the West. Instead this documentary seeks out the quieter nuances- how these women change completely, remain the same, or balance a double life.
About the Film
The film is an inquisitive, introspective and colorful look at what identity means to be a Pakistani, in a world where countries seem to have national brands, and Pakistan doesn’t seem to have one. It is flavored by the quirks of the interviewees and the travelogue-esque exploration of America. The narrative attempts to fuse the values of the East and West through women who sometimes don’t have a say on either side.
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Most of all, this film is honest. Women say what they have wanted to say when there is really nobody to listen- all the things we are just a little bit afraid of saying.
Meet Extraordinary, Invisible Women
The documentary includes 20 women who came from Pakistan to the West, and is an exploration of their lived spaces, talking head confessionals, and the meaning they assign to cultural artifacts. The women are from diverse backgrounds, ages and income groups. A road-trip like backdrop of the US and Canada juxtaposed against the way they style their homes and lives
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The effect of value conflict on integration.
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2.
Cultural Identity as a brand- and versus the individual.
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4.
What do you owe to your homeland?
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What to do when your identity is built around religion?
6.
How do you see yourself when you aren’t represented anywhere?
Themes
In Pakistan, there is a blanket over the collective psyche. The young country was born from narratives about a Muslim homeland, a rivalry against India, and a philosophical opposition to their Western colonizers. Very unfortunately, that overarching narrative has been used by the state to squash individual thoughts. The country's tendency for theocratic misogyny makes it very difficult to break out, especially as a woman, into a fully realized person.
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This film explores women who, despite everything, manage to do that- and what they gain and lose in the process.
