For Canadian-Pakistani filmmaker, Karachi is both muse and escape
Al Jazeera
Hamza Bangash is one of the most exciting filmmaking voices in Pakistan, intently capturing a nation in transformation.
Hamza Bangash loves Karachi. The Canadian-Pakistani filmmaker’s latest film, Bhai, that opened to much interest and appreciation at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, is centred in his home town where, according to him, “anything can happen”.
In fact, capricious Karachi has been the setting for all his internationally acclaimed short films so far, a retrospective of which was held in Toronto on October 2.
Apart from Bhai, the selection included Dia (2018) that won the audience award at Locarno, 1978 (2020) that played at the Locarno Film Festival, and Stray Dogs Come Out At Night (2020) which was showcased at the biggest festival of short films, Festival international du court metrage de Clermont-Ferrand, as well as at BFI London Film Festival, Dharamshala International Film Festival, and KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival.
