Category: projects

Pittsford filmmaker Mara Ahmed presents on new documentary

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.

mara ahmed

school number 15

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.

“The Time That Remains” – The Letter

loved the film. its perfectly framed shots, impeccably choreographed scenes, spare dialogue and quiet moments of brilliance r like a visual poem. by creating physical, mental and emotional space around his narrative, elia suleiman imbues his palestinian characters with elegance and dignity. the film expresses his desire for order in an environment which is hardly bearable let alone comprehensible. the absurdity of excessive force or widespread propaganda, the humiliation of occupation and the violent dance between israeli soldiers and palestinian resistance are all visually articulated. certain images/scenes r indelible, many from 1948. what better statement of resistance or wish for peace and co-existence than suleiman pole vaulting effortlessly over the separation wall? beautiful. 5 out of 5 for me.

The Little Theatres: an intro to my doc about partition

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.

Private (2004) – Movie Trailer

based on a true story and shot with the realism of a documentary, the film is a psychological but also v physical depiction of what it’s like to have one’s home occupied by soldiers. the metaphor obviously extends to the occupation of palestine. brilliant acting by veteran palestinian actor mohammad bakri. anguishing, compelling but also humanizing. it was reviewed favorably by EI but severely critiqued in this article. i agree that the “humanizing competition” (during filming) b/w idf soldiers and palestinian civilians is v much in evidence and somewhat masks the brutality and complete illegitimacy of the occupation. 4 out of 5 for me.

Miral

finally saw miral. the film’s content is fine, except perhaps the oslo accords which r presented as a viable solution to the occupation. a map of what was proposed would be useful as it would be a visual recap of the bantustan that was supposed to constitute a palestinian state. my problem with the film is more aesthetic, more technical. the film lacks any emotional depth. it is full of cardboard characters that we should feel something for but with whom we r incapable of forming any empathetic ties. the camerawork is too stylized (in an unsteady way), to the point of being distracting, annoying. however, the film “shows” many imp issues (w/o really delving into them) and that is something. 3.5 out of 5 for me.

Watch Documentaries Online – Occupied Minds

occupied minds: a candidate for the palestinian film festival we’re organizing in rochester. the film touches on many important issues, it’s personal and therefore easier to watch and access. it tries to be balanced (which can be a problematic word in the context of occupation but it’s not here). it lacks a cohesive narrative and doesn’t leave us with any cogent/urgent message but at the same time it manages to cover a wide spectrum of issues in one film w/o making it overwhelming. a great compliment to narrative films. 4 out of 5 for me.

screening of “pakistan one on one” at milne library, suny geneseo

the screening was great – good attendance from students and community members and v intelligent questions. this is me with profs (and dear friends) randy kaplan (R) and vicky farmer (L) having dinner at a lovely new restaurant in geneseo. thx ladies – for the screening, the yummy food, the perfect book (morocco in photographs) and most of all, ur company. and yes, randy is wearing a kameez with dupatta and vicky is wearing an embroidered kurta – it’s all about south asia!

mara ahmed - screening of pakistan one on one at suny geneseo