an intro to my film about partition at the little theatre, rochester, ny – february 9, 2012.
i got a bit verklempt while reading john siddique’s v moving and v poetic piece on partition. a big thank u to my friend nancy ghertner for shooting this video.
Pittsford filmmaker Mara Ahmed presents on new documentary
By Phillip Miner
Fairport – East Rochester Post, Posted Feb 03, 2012
On Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m., Mara Ahmed will introduce the community to her new film at the Little Theater, 240 E. Ave. in Rochester. In addition to showing clips from the in-progress film (currently in post-production), there will also be a panel discussion focusing on the history of post-colonial India and Pakistan, and live music from Sunny Zaman.
Filmmaker and Pittsford resident Mara Ahmed has always been fascinated with the differences between people, but never in the divisive sense. Instead, through her filmmaking, she has been working actively to reconcile those differences and demonstrate how they ultimately make us one human race. Her first film, a documentary titled “The Muslims I Know,” is one example of her striving toward that goal. In that film, she chronicles the lives of Muslims living in the greater Rochester area, presenting them as everyday people first, Rochester residents second and everything else afterwards.
It is with that goal of reconciliation in mind that Mara Ahmed began producing her third film, an as-yet-untitled documentary about a particularly tumultuous time in the history of South Asia: the British post-colonial partition of the Indian subcontinent into the modern-day nations of Pakistan and India. Ahmed’s mother’s family, which originally hailed from India, is one of many sources of stories cited in the film, all of which center around the bitter divisions that arose as a result of the partition, in spite of the coexistence that preceded it.
Tell us more about your upcoming film? What is it about, and what can audiences expect?
This will be my third documentary film, and it is about stories of partition. The British, upon their departure from India, divided the nation into three parts: East and West Pakistan, and India, the basis being religious demographics. … It’s essentially the trauma of the Indian subcontinent. I wanted to make this film because my mother’s family immigrated from India during this tim,e and I grew up hearing their stories. When I encountered fellow filmmaker Surbhi Dewan at the Rochester Institute of Technology, whose family made the same journey in the opposite direction, we decided to collaborate on this film to preserve people’s personal stories.
Who is involved in the production of this film?
In addition to myself as director and Surbhi Dewan as co-producer, we’re also collaborating with animator Gayane Bagdasaryan, an RIT graduate who is currently working for the Alexandr Petrov Animation Studio in Russia. Her animation for this film is about re-creating the time before the partition, when the various peoples of the Indian subcontinent were able to coexist peacefully. In addition, for post-production, we’ll work with Dave Sluberski of West Rush Productions, based in Rush, and Chuck Munier of NXT Media in Fairport. We’re also working with Sunny Zaman, a musician from Pittsford, who will contribute original music to the film.
What do you feel this film can teach the greater Rochester community at large?
This film has lessons that everyone can and should learn regardless of background. What happened in India during that time could be applied to many conflict zones around the world: Iraq, Bosnia, Libya, anywhere. It’s also a lesson for all of America in light of the anti-Muslim sentiment that has arisen after 9/11. Cultural diversity is an asset, not a liability, and it’s important to learn about and respect those differences. It’s especially important to learn this in today’s modern world, with the advent of globalization and the intermixing it encourages.
What has it been like working with the greater Rochester community to produce your films?
It has been a really wonderful experience doing this kind of work in Rochester.The Rochester community has been very supportive, very helpful. When you’re working on films that teach people to see others as humans first, other people are naturally attracted to work on such projects. Also, Rochester, as an audience, has been a very responsive and welcoming community.
More here.
rochester magazine did this terrific story about me in their feb issue – it’s called “filmmaker, political explorer” – love what editor mark liu took from my interview and love the picture by matt wittmeyer. v happy about how it came out and what it says about pakistan. does rochester rock or what?
had shrimp creole with a sweet potato casserole at the french quarter cafe in rochester. absolutely delish! lovely family run restaurant with lace curtains and warm hospitality. check it out here.
just visited school no. 15 where half the students r children of refugees. saw two little girls with hijabs full of sparkles coming out of the cafeteria. so beautiful. i will be volunteering here thru FREE partnerships, a non profit that provides volunteers to rochester inner city schools. i don’t think i’ve been this excited about anything for a really long time.
coming up on feb 9, 2012 at 7 pm – don’t miss it!
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Multi-media presentation centered on an upcoming documentary about the partition of India, followed by a discussion with director Mara Ahmed and guest panelists Dr Victoria Farmer (SUNY Geneseo), Dr Neeta Bhasin (Hobart and William Smith Colleges) and Dr Aitezaz Ahmed. More here.
from my speech: i believe deeply that all religions try to answer the same existential questions and teach the same things – namely, the basics of how to live a decent, compassionate life. if differences in religious rituals and symbols were the only issue at hand, i believe that negotiating that diversity would be a lot simpler, a lot more doable than what we r confronted with today.
in my view most conflicts in the world are about other things – things like land, resources and power. but unfortunately such conflicts are often cloaked in the language of religion. it’s the “us” vs “them” syndrome, the clash of civilizations narrative. the trick is to dehumanize the other in order to strip them of rights we take for granted for ourselves. without such dehumanization, the cruelty that human beings perpetrate on one another would be impossible.
and this is where interfaith dialogue comes in. instead of being used as an excuse to “otherize” vast sections of humanity, religion can be used most effectively to humanize, to affirm those who have been reduced to being two-dimensional, cardboard stereotypes. religion is invested with both spiritual meaning and moral authority and it is therefore brilliantly poised to counter inequality-based rhetoric and violence.
interfaith dialogue provides us a safe space to interact with and get to know the other. that in and of itself is an invaluable service to the community.
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1) daan braveman, president of nazareth college
2) brian and jean hickey to whom the center is now dedicated
3) dr shafiq, the heart and soul of the center
4) my speech…
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november 20, 2011: first meeting today to organize a palestinian film festival here in rochester, ny – exciting!
last week had lunch at amaya’s with my husband. had lamb kebabs, with a vegetable bhaji, samosas and yummy naans. for dessert had tiny chocolate samosas filled with coconut, served with ice cream. delish! the restaurant belongs to two dear friends – brilliant doctors who wanted to bring some sophisticated indian/pakistani/bengali fusion cuisine to rochester. pls check it out. open for dinner and lunch.
more here.
this is the panel discussion i was invited to join in oct 2011. it was hosted by the NPR station in syracuse and mediated by fergus nicholl from the bbc world service. the other two panelists were dr asma barlas and qawal muhammad najmuddin. the unfortunate topic was “pakistani culture under siege.” here’s the podcast. check it out.
november 3, 2011: just met amy goodman at syracuse university. she had been invited by the syracuse peace council as part of their 75th anniversary celebration. she talked about the importance of independent media and the power of grassroots movements – occupy wall street, the egyptian revolution, the gaza flotillas. she talked about her arrest (along with two other democracy now reporters) outside the republican national convention in 2008 and how they had just won concessions from the st paul police dept and the u.s. secret service (a rare victory). the lesson there is that when the police tell u to stop filming, that’s exactly when u turn on ur camera – it’s a constitutional right. she talked about covering troy davis’s execution and that was the only time her voice broke. very deliberately, she compared it to lynching. she explained how people involved in social change, whether they see the results in their lifetime or not, r in fact shaping the future. she mentioned frederick douglass, susan b anthony and rosa parks. she called them troublemakers and stressed the importance of not being silent.
she speaks fast and jumps from one world event to another. she is knowledgeable and witty but what i related to most was her passion. u can feel it in everything she says – in her excitement about people’s movements, in her commitment to truth and justice. it’s palpable. it’s contagious. i told her about my documentary work and about how, when i speak to students on college and university campuses, the first thing i urge them to do is to watch democracy now. she was v pleased and introduced me to her producers who r also pakistani-american. on the way out i met dear, like-minded friends and got to catch up with them. the air was brisk but not too chilly and the city of syracuse lit up the view from the campus. a lovely evening…
My film “The Muslims I Know” will be screened at St John Fisher College tomorrow, from 11:15 am – 12:10 pm AND from 6:15 pm – 7:15 pm, Basil 135. The screenings are free and open to the public. I will be there to answer questions. Pls join us. More info here.
S. Brian Willson will speak at 7 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at Spiritus Christi Church, 121 North Fitzhugh Street, Rochester, NY. Brian Wilson is a Vietnam veteran whose wartime experience transformed him into a pacifist. Since the 1980s he’s been educating the public about the effects of US imperialism. In 1987, Brian lost both legs while attempting to stop a train carrying munitions destined for Central America. Striving to “walk his talk” (on prosthetic legs and a three-wheeled hand-cycle), Brian created a model of right livelihood founded on a simpler lifestyle. Here is his website. His new book is entitled “Blood on the Tracks”.
