The Embassy of France in Pakistan is hosting a film festival in Islamabad on the 21st and 22nd of November 2014. The festival introduces a new generation of French directors’ featured films inspired by social aspects of South Asia.
The first film to be screened is Noor, based on the story of a real life Kushras: Noor, who wants to be a man and finds a girl who will accept him as he is. This road-movie is a poetic and political exploration of transgender issues, set in Pakistan’s breath-taking landscapes. The film is co-directed by Çagla Zencirci & Guillaume Giovanetti, who will present their film for the first time to the Pakistani audience on the 21st of November 2014.
The directorial duo based in Paris, Istanbul and Lahore, directed from 2004 and 2010 several short films and documentaries in the Middle-East, Europe, Central Asia and Far-East. In 2012, they achieved Noor, their first feature film (France/Turkey/Pakistan), which they shot in Pakistan thanks to the support of the MEDIA Program.
The film premiered at the ACID section of the 65th Cannes International Film Festival 2012, competed in the 47th Karlovy Vary Film Festival, was selected in Busan IFF, and was awarded several Grand Prix (Paris’ “Chéries-Chéris” Festival, Dieppe, France, New York Asian Film Festival, Missisauga, Canada, Bogota, Colombia) and many other Awards (Rome, Milan, Vancouver, Dublin, Toulouse, etc).
After more than 80 invitations from Festivals worldwide, the film has been theatrically released in France in April 2014, where it received a great response both from the critics and the audience. Çagla Zencirci, Guillaume Giovanetti and Noor will talk about the film and their experience prior at the start of the event on Friday evening.