THE FILM: "Bijli"
USA / 2003 / 16 MIN / URDU
Cinematographer: Justin Bogardus
Editing: Chloe Chapman and Zeke O'Donnell
Sound: Adnan Malik, Chloe Chapman, Zeke O'Donnell
Executive Producer and Directed by: Adnan Malik

SYNOPSIS: Consider Manhattan a sprawling Hollywood set. Amongst the swarms of people that crowd the streets like extras, Fayaaz Bijli is another face relegated to the background of our visual spectrum. Come sundown, however, and the inconspicuous Fayaaz morphs into the iconic personae of 'Bijli,' a voluptuous Pakistani drags queen. Yet beneath the flamboyant stage presence lies a courageous individual who has carved out a unique and cherished identity for herself in a world that has been all too quick to label her as an 'outsider'. Defining herself as a woman stuck in a man's body, Fayaaz has spent her life struggling between the polar tensions of male/female, East/West and Islamic faith/promiscuity. This film is a glimpse into Fayaaz's psyche as she navigates her way through a New York City life.

THE FILMMAKER: Adnan Malik, 24, is a filmmaker/journalist from Islamabad, who currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Bijli is Adnan's first film, and was nominated as a regional finalist for the Student Academy Awards. His previous multi-media project, "Deconstructing the Terrorist", deals with the western media coverage of the 'war on terrorism'. Adnan is currently designing t-shirts for Urban Turban and is trapped in between worlds.

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THE FILM: “Bitte Spechren Sie in Deutsch” (Wrong Language)
GERMANY / 2003 / 15 MIN / ENGLISH
Written and Directed by: Hamra Abbas

SYNOPSIS: This film is based on a discussion between the filmmaker and her six Indian classfellows in an intensive German language course.

FILMMAKER: Hamra Abbas graduated with a Master’s Degree in Visual Arts from the National College of Art, Lahore, in 2002. She is currently studying at the Universität Der Kunste, Berlin.

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THE FILM: “Desperate Measures”
PAKISTAN / 2003 / 3 MIN / ENGLISH
Cast: Mr. Butt, Ahmed Farooq Butt, Critic Roshan, Khurram Suhrwardy
Editor: Khurram Suhrwardy
Producer: Khurram Suhrwardy
Directed by: Khurram Suhrwardy and Adeel Suhrwardy

SYNOPSIS: The Matrix, desi style.

THE FILMMAKERS: Adeel and Khurram Suhrwardy are film lovers, and brothers who have the same ambition: to make entertaining and meaningful movies. Adeel has an MBA in Information Systems from Lincoln University while Khurram just completed his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Centre for Business Management.

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THE FILM: “Fast Moving Train - FMT”
PAKISTAN / 2003 / 8 MIN / URDU
Written, Produced and Directed by: Zaffer Iqbal

SYNOPSIS: This film is based on a true story, a story which we can see around us; which is happening in our own homes – the story of women in our society. “Fast Moving Train” is about how the filmmaker saw his mother, his sisters, his girlfriend and his wife suffer.

THE FILMMAKER: Zaffer Iqbal is a designer and a teacher at the National College of Arts Lahore and a humanist. He was invited by the Fine Art School of Aix to France where he did a seven-month course in filmmaking. His message is one of solidarity: from the solitude of pain to a universal compassion for all human beings.

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THE FILM: “Just Talk”
PAKISTAN / 2003 / 6 MIN / ENGLISH-URDU
Cast: Vaneeza Ahmed
Camera: Usman Zuberi
Editing: Usman Zuberi, Hasan Zaidi
Producer: Tamarind Pictures
Written and Directed by: Hasan Zaidi

SYNOPSIS: Sometimes words mean nothing.

THE FILMMAKER: Hasan Zaidi is a journalist and filmmaker based in Karachi. He studied filmmaking at Dartmouth College in the US and has directed and produced a number of documentaries and music videos. His feature directorial debut, “Raat Chali Hai Jhoom Ke” (aka “The Long Night”), won a Special Jurors' Selection Ciepie at the 1st KaraFilm Festival as well an award for Best Supporting Actress Nadia Jamil. The film has received wide acclaim and has been shown at the Commonwealth Film Festival 2002, the Leeds Film Festival 2002, the Lahore Moving Images Film Festival 2002 as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington and New York. His last film was the short “Out of Synch” which premiered at the 2nd KaraFilm Festival.

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THE FILM: “Music Box”
USA-PAKISTAN / 2003 / 10 MIN / ENGLISH
Cast: Tony Sanders, Estela Garcia.
Camera: Dylan Newcomb
Editing: Kiran Nanjiani
Directed by: Kiran Nanjiani

SYNOPSIS: A film about a homeless person who falls in love with an expensive music box that he sees and the way in which he struggles to own it. All of us have desires that we feel surpass our own abilities to achieve. We may or may not be successful; the struggle is what counts.

THE FILMMAKER: An independent filmmaker from Karachi, Kiran Nanjiani completed a bachelor’s from the Lahore University of Management Sciences before doing a stint at the independent television production house Telebiz as a documentarian. She proceeded to do a short course in video production with the New York Film Academy and now freelances as a director and producer for corporate clients and television production houses.

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THE FILM: “Nadah”
PAKISTAN / 2002 / 11 MIN / URDU-PUNJABI
Cast: Nasha Pestonji, Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, Samina Butt
Executive Producer: Minnie Serena Nathaniel
Producers: Imran Babur, Afia Serena Nathaniel
Directed by: Afia Serena Nathaniel

SYNOPSIS: Nadah, is not a typical 11-year-old Pakistani girl. Growing up in a conservative family, she longs for her father’s love and support for her passion – cricket. Does she get what she wants?

THE FILMMAKER: Afia Serena Nathaniel is currently studying for an MFA (Film Directing) at Columbia University in New York. She sees herself as a filmmaker who lets a story get under her skin and that of her audience – an independent female film director who can undertake a journey which will mean breaking barriers and redefining existing rules, utilizing her creative and analytical abilities to the fullest.

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THE FILM: “Oranges and Lemons”
INDIA / 2002 / 3 MIN 30 SEC
Camera: Shanker Raman
Editing: Jabeen Merchant
Sound design: Resul Pookutty
Executive Producer: Madhusree Dutta
Production: Kishore Sawant
Directed by: Faiza Ahmad Khan

SYNOPSIS: Through a child’s memory of images of violence and vandalism, the film depicts the loss of precious childhood in the refugee centers in violence-torn Gujarat.

THE FILMMAKER: Faiza Ahmad Khan completed a postgraduate diploma in Social Communications media from Sophia Polytechnic in May 2003. She has made a 20-minute-long audio-visual on Marine Pollution in Mumbai. During the year she visited Gujarat, post-carnage, to help the Shared Footage Group document the carnage. Inspiration for the film came
from the visit.

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THE FILM: “Piano” (OUT OF COMPETITION)
PAKISTAN / 1999 / 4 MIN 30 SEC / URDU
Directed and Produced by: Mahera Omar.

SYNOPSIS: In appreciation of a lovely piano … some tinkly tunes.

THE FILMMAKER: A young, independent filmmaker (Aunty-Preneur?), Mahera Omar (aka.MO) was born and bred in the city by the sea, Karachi. Asked by a friend if she’d like to go to the beach… she replied “Oil be there!” !! She currently works at Geo TV.

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THE FILM: “Room 708”
USA-PAKISTAN / 2003 / 1 MIN 30 SEC / ENGLISH
Cast: Clyde Tull, Fairly Tull
Sound: Omar Hashmy
Makeup: Fatemah Kaveh
Music: Marc Aramian
Director: Syed Ali Nasir

SYNOPSIS: A woman checks into a hotel. Checking out may prove to be slightly more difficult.

THE FILMMAKER: Syed Ali Nasir is a 24-year-old filmmaker currently residing in sunny Karachi. He studied Economics for four years in Boston and returned after enduring four harsh New England winters and swearing to himself, “No more!” He has been making films for the past few years and his future plans include gaining some weight, learning French and hopefully conquering the world of Pakistani cinema.

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THE FILM: “Sein-Seeti, Sein-Seerhi”
PAKISTAN / 2002 / 4 MIN
Cast: Hana, Naureen, Nousheen, Neelam, Noor
Camera: Wardah Alam
Editing: Wardah Alam
Directed and Produced by: Wardah Alam.

SYNOPSIS: Life begins in its own mode, slowly and gently starting to move. After some time it moves full throttle. It has its own track but it also depends on which direction you move in. And in the end everything again comes to rest.

THE FILMMAKER: Wardah Alam completed her bachelors in Fine Arts, from the National College of Arts in Lahore with a concentration in printmaking and proceeded to do her masters in Multimedia Arts from the same institution.

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THE FILM: “Two By Two”
USA / 2003 / 9 MIN / ENGLISH
Sound: Daniel Giannella, Tessica Tizzuti, Emily Carroll, Emily Dodge
Animation: Emily Dodge
Directed by: Emily Dodge

SYNOPSIS: This film is meant to offer a different outlook on a story that’s not often seen from a point of view such as this. “Two by Two” is the animals’ version of Noah’s Ark.

THE FILMMAKER: Emily Dodge, age 22, recently graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. She wishes to open the minds of everyone to look at things differently and explore everything.

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THE FILM: “Up in Smoke”
USA / 2003 / 6 MIN / ENGLISH
Director of Photography: Michael Dwyer
Sound Engineer: Matt Twomey
Gaffer: Lisa Wang
Produced and Directed by: Kiran Nanjiani

SYNOPSIS: In April 2003, New York mayor Bloomberg banned smoking in all restaurants and bars. New York City reacted: this short documentary is on New York City’s response to the smoking ban.

THE FILMMAKER: An independent filmmaker from Karachi, Kiran Nanjiani completed a bachelor’s from the Lahore University of Management Sciences before doing a stint at the independent television production house Telebiz as a documentarian. She proceeded to do a short course in video production with the New York Film Academy and now freelances as a director and producer for corporate clients and television production houses.

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THE FILM: “What You See In The Mirror!”
PAKISTAN / 2002 / 7 MIN / ENGLISH
Cast: Maria Jamil
Crew: Third year students of the Communications Design Department at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture
Producer: Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture
Directed by: Munis Abdulla

SYNOPSIS: A psychologically disturbed girl battles with her emotions and a murder.

THE FILMMAKER: Born in Karachi, Munis Abdulla is currently studying communications design at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.

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THE FILM: "Broken Glass"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2002 / 5 MINS / ENGLISH
Cast: Jane Williams
Voice: David Henry
Light: Marcus Wergeland Hansen
Music Composer: Stein Johan Grieg Halvorsen
Poet: Hal Sirowitz
Directed by: Marte Maren Holth

THE POEM
If you don't do your chores, Mother said,
I won't let you have a birthday party
and instead of being nine
you will be eight for another year
and none of your friends will want to play
with someone younger than them
the school will leave you back .
and you will have to repeat the same boring classes
while everyone is getting older
you will stay the same
and you will never be able to catch up with them
since you cant have two birthdays in one year
because we couldn’t afford to buy you two presents

Don’t eat any food in your room, Mother said,
you’ll get more bugs
they depend on people like you
otherwise, they would starve
but who do you want to make happy
your mother or a bunch of ants?

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THE FILM: "The Burdened Ass"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2002 / 11 MIN / ENGLISH
Cast: Oliver Lansley, Samantha the Donkey, Neil Edson, Tom Barbor-Might
Director of Photography: Aadel Nodeh-Farahani
Editing: Adrian Hedgecock
Sound Engineer: Tim Carter
Music: Alexis Bennett
Poet: Adrian Hedgecock
Produced and Directed by: Adrian Hedgecock

SYNOPSIS: France, 1916: John, a soldier and wannabe poet needs to save his sanity, and his ass, whilst he still can. Deserting the front line, John wonders with his head in the clouds until befriending an ass (as in 'donkey') whose attitude towards life helps the young soldier to recall everything he's been missing and re-evaluate everything he (thinks he) knows...

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THE FILM: "The Elevator"
UNITED KINGDOM/ 2000 / 4 MINS / ENGLISH
Cast: Ashley Walters, Gary Lewis
Producer: Nikki Parrott
Poet: Lemn Sissay
Directed by: Alrick Riley

SYNOPSIS: One hotel, one elevator, one world, two people, one black, one white, one young, one old, one destination, one distance. Cinema and street poetry fuse in "The Elevator", testing the limits to which the two arts can be pushed. The chance encounter between two men in an elevator creates an atmosphere with the power to unnerve and instigate presumptions. It is the beginning of a riveting journey through clubland and into the soul and mind.

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THE FILM: “For You”
UNITED KINGDOM / 2000 / 2 MIN 45 SEC / ENGLISH-FRENCH
Poet: Jacques Prevert
Directed by: Heidi Kocevar

SYNOPSIS: The changing faces of love are shown through the attempts of a man to capture his beloved forever. It was painted with clay straight under the camera and is strongly influenced by the paintings of Rene Magritte.

THE FILMMAKER: Heidi Kocevar was born in 1978 in Split, Croatia. Her quest for studying animation leed her to England. In 2000 she graduated from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design with her film “For You”. Currently she is working on her own short films, while studying at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria.

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THE FILM: "The Lines"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2001 / 3 MIN 20 SEC / ENGLISH
Voice: Andrew Motion
Composition and Sound: Sebastian Castagna
Animation: Suzie Hanna and Hayley Winter
Poet: Andrew Motion
Directed by: Suzie Hanna and Hayley Winter

SYNOPSIS: This collaborative film is based on a short poem, 'The Lines' by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. Animated text in the landscape and electro acoustic sound interact to interpret and experiment with the meanings contained in the poem. Themes visited are history of the building of the railways, changing seasons and death. Techniques include 16mm film and video pixillation, drawn and mixed-media animation, edited digitally using Adobe Premiere.

THE FIlMMAKERS: Suzie Hanna's filmography of animated films include "Doh Ray Me" (1984), "The Organ Grinder" (Cambridge Animation Festival 1985), "Kandinsky's Fiesta" (1990), "Paganini's Dream" (1997, shown at Over 20 film/animation festivals worldwide, certificate of merit from Chicago Film Festival, broadcast on ITV) and "Figured Bass" (1999, showed at 6 film/animation festivals worldwide, as part of Halloween 'Fashion on film' at the Vibe Bar, and broadcast on ITV) which she co-directed.

Haley Winter has animated and directed “woolly Jumper” (1995), “In-Tents” (1996) and co-directed “Figured Bass” (1999).

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THE FILM: "Lonely Boy"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2002 / 1 MIN 40 SEC / ENGLISH
Voices: Gwynne Latouche
Producer: Alan Dewhurst for Universal Broadcasting Networks
Poet: Jonathan Lewis
Directed by: Becalelis Brodskis

SYNOPSIS: A moving portrait of loneliness. The story of a man who, estranged from those around him, lives out his life utterly alone. Created digitally using flash software.

THE FIlMMAKER: Born in London in 1968, Becalelis Brodskis spent his childhood in France, Spain & Morocco. In 1991 he graduated in Fine Art from Norwich School of Art. Earning a living through stone carving he continued to develop his own language. He began turning his drawings into animations, and subsequently went to the Royal College of Art, receiving an MA in animation in 2001. He now lives and works in London.

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THE FILM: "The Minister For Exams"
UNITED KINGDOM / 1999 / 2 MIN / ENGLISH
Poet: Brian Patten
Directed by: Paul Trewartha

SYNOPSIS: "The Minister for Exams" is a short film based on a poem by Brian Patten that explores the oppressive nature of education, as represented in context of a child's undefiled imagination. Designed to manipulate the flow of vision through a use of space, editing and direction, this film addresses the relationship between language and movement, thought and expression.

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THE FILM: "Not Waving"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2002 / 4 MIN / ENGLISH
Cast: Antonio Gil Martinez
Camera: Alex Howe
Editing: Carol Salter
Producers: George Duffield, Meg Thomson
Directed by: Jane Rogoyska

SYNOPSIS: A happy group of picnickers bustle to the beach. One man changes into his swimming trunks, puts on a pair of flippers, does a clownish dance and dives into the grey blue sea. The other picnickers notice their friend waving from the water, and wave back energetically. We hear the waves. The man waves from the deep water, his hand sailing from side to side. Gradually, he loses control in the water and disappears.

THE POEM:
‘Not Waving but Drowning’ by Stevie Smith
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowing.

THE FILMMAKER: Jane Rogoyska studied film at the NSFTV (Northern School of Film and TV) in Leeds and the PWSFT (Polish National Film School) in Lodz. Jane is attached to the feature film ‘By the Shore’, based on the book by Galaxy Craze (in development with Arcane Pictures) and to a feature based on an adaptation of Chekhov’s “Ward 6”, currently written by Clive Bradley. She has also written several original screenplays.

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THE FILM: "Picassoesque"
UNITED KINGDOM / 1997 / 3 MIN / ENGLISH
Poet: Julia Darling
Directed by: Sally Ann Arthur

SYNOPSIS: An colourful animated version of Julia Darling's poem Picassoesque: sticking two fingers up at the beauty industry's obsession with stick-like ankles/women. Those with more pillar-like legs are encouraged to ignore the images which bombard them and enjoy their strong wide limbs!

THE POEM:
Once I reviled
these stout ankles,
Ungraceful fetlocks,
thick as lamp posts
I even strapped them into
Sadistic tight black leather boots,
Squeezed them until
They went blue with height.
Then she told me
One blousy afternoon
Naked on a town roof
That they were picassoesque
Picassoesque!

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THE FILM: "Summer With Monika"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2000 / 4 MIN 29 SEC / ENGLISH
Poet: Roger McGough
Directed by: Corrina Askin

SYNOPSIS: The poetic youth is back and the decades fall away in this pastel pastoral. Roger McGough doesn't cough once as the season sentimentally unfolds.

THE FILMMAKER: Corrina Askin loves a challenge and likes to experiment with the worlds of printing, publishing and animation.
She studied animation at the Royal College of Art in London and has animated work by Roger McGough ("Summer With Monika") and worked with P.J. Lynch on "Animated Tales of the World, Ireland."
She is also a member of the Graphic Print Workshop. Corrina lives in Belfast.

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THE FILM: "The Man With The Beautiful Eyes"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2000 / 5 MIN / ENGLISH
Poet: Charles Bukowski
Directed by: Jonathan Hodgson

THE FILMMAKER: Jonathan Hodgson was born in Oxford in 1960 and educated at Liverpool Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art. His first commission after leaving the RCA was to make a film about nuclear disarmament for the UN with co-director Susan Young. After three years of partnership with Young directing animated commercials and title sequences he moved on to become a director at Felix Films, a founder member of Bermuda Shorts and a director at Speedy Films before setting up his present company Sherbet with producer Jonathan Bairstow. He has lectured extensively including at the Royal College of Art, the Surrey Institute at Farnham and the Film Akademie Barden Wurtemburg in Germany. Jonathan has directed a variety of high profile TV commercials including campaigns for Saab, Persil and Bank of Switzerland. He has won numerous international awards including the BAFTA in 2000 for “The Man with the Beautiful Eyes”.

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THE FILM: "The Old Fools"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2002 / 5 MIN 37 SEC / ENGLISH
Animator: Ruth Lingford
Sound Design: Philippe Ciompi
Editing: Jo Ann Kaplan
Graphics: Kathryn Tattersall
Voice Over: Bob Geldof
Producer: Jane Colling
Poet: Philip Larkin
Directed by: Ruth Lingford

SYNOPSIS: A clear-eyed look at the inevitability of our own decay and death. With some humour and visual seduction, the film uses images that are visceral, abrasive and sometimes quite beautiful, hinting at the consequences of our society’s denial of death.

THE FILMMAKER: Ruth Lingford graduated in animation from the Royal College of Art (RCA) Since then she has directed multi-award winning films for Channel 4 and is currently tutor on MA courses at the RCA.

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THE FILM: "The Tyre"
UNITED KINGDOM / 2000 / 9 MIN / ENGLISH
Cast: Christopher Eccleston, Sam Lister
Director of Photography: Simon Niblett
Editing: Stuart Briggs
Music: Julian Stewart Lindsay
Producers: Abi Bach, Caroline Levy
Writers: Simon Armitage, Brian Hill
Poet: Simon Armitage
Directed by: Brian Hill

SYNOPSIS: "The Tyre" is a short fiolm based on a poem by poet Simon Armitage. The film is about a sales rep who feels trapped and tied down by his life. He eventually frees himself through a magical childhood memory.

THE FILMMAKER: Brian Hill is an award winning documentary filmmaker. "The tyre" was made with the support of The Film Council, with National Lottery Funds, Film Four, the Yorkshire Media Production Agency and Yorkshire Arts.

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