Zarrar Kahn is an award-winning Pakistani-Canadian director, screenwriter and producer. An alumnus of both Locarno and Asian Filmmakers Academy, his artistic practice is based out of Karachi. His works have been showcased in film festivals worldwide, including Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand and Palm Springs. Bangash is currently in early stages of development on his first feature film, MARIAM. The project won the MPA-AFA First prize award at the Busan International Film Festival 2019 and was selected for Berlinale Talent Project Market 2020. The feature film is intended for a 2022 theatrical release.
Films shown in Divvy Film Festival London 2024
Set in modern-day Karachi, the film opens with the death of the family patriarch. Mother and daughter find themselves in a precarious situation where their existence is ripped apart. In order to survive in a hostile world dominated by men, the two women have to work together in the face of threats both real and supernatural.
In Flames
dir: Zarrar Kahn
run time: 1 hr 38 mins.
production year: 2023
language: Urdu (with English subtitles)
countries: Pakistan, Canada
Films shown in Divvy Film Festival 2023
Zarrar Kahn, Stray Dogs Come out at Night, 2021
Karachi, Pakistan. Iqbal, a migrant sex worker, cannot come to terms with his illness. He convinces his uncle to take a day trip to the beach, desperate for respite. The Arabian sea beckons.
Films shown in Divvy Film Festival 2021
Zarrar Kahn, Bhai, 2021
On Pakistan’s independence day, two teenage boys go out to celebrate at a fast food restaurant – when a dancing monkey interrupts.
Zarrar Kahn, 1978, 2020
Lenny, a rock-star from the Christian community is offered the chance to reinvent himself as a State-sanctioned singer. With Islamic fervor gripping the nation, he must decide if he is able to change with the times.
Films shown in Divvy Film Festival 2020
Dia, Zarrar Kahn, 2018
Mariam is determined to escape her conservative family by pursuing a secret online romance. When her mother suggests an arranged marriage, she refuses, saying she needs time. With the clock ticking, her romance takes a dark twist, revealing the extremes that Mariam will go to keep her relationship alive.
Audience Award | Best Short Film | Locarno Shorts Week 2020
World Premiere at the 71st edition of the Locarno Film Festival | August 2018 | Switzerland
24 min
Stray Dogs Come Out at Night, Zarrar Kahn, 2020
Iqbal, a ‘maalishwala‘ by profession, cannot come to terms with his illness. He convinces his uncle to take a day trip to the beach, desperate for respite. The Arabian sea beckons.
Official Selection:
BFI: London Film Festival 2020 | UK
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival 2020 | US
And many others
11 min
