Alt-Africa #QuickChat with Arshad Khan Director of Abu a compelling documentary about a young Pakistani man’s difficulties in coping with migration and the resultant cultural change, his emerging sexuality and an increasingly orthodox father.
Arshad asserts: “Why do we have passports, why do we have borders. Nobody migrates as a lifestyle choice”.
Arshad Khan’s unique and moving documentary explores his fragmented family life. They moved from a happy existence in Pakistan to become struggling immigrants in Toronto. In the 1980s, Arshad’s liberal, fun-loving father recorded his family in and around their Islamabad home – a seemingly carefree place where they lived in harmony with each other. This charming footage is the emotional backbone of the film and presents a stark contrast to their contemporary life and how each member attempts to adapt to their new circumstances. Arshad’s father, in particular, becomes increasingly conservative, embracing a religious dogma and its accompanying practices. As for Arshad, he faces prejudice, an increasingly tense relationship at home and struggles with his sexuality, before finally embracing an identity that is Pakistani, Canadian and queer. Read the full interview with Arshad here soon.
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Credit: Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for BFI
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