Amidst the Yeh Jawani Phir Nahi Aanis and the Parey Hat Loves of our movie industry, I’ve recently found something to be hyped about. I truly do believe in reviving Pakistani cinema but movies that have 50 year old men still gripping on to their youths, trying to romance 20 year old women just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
“Darling” a film by Saim Sadiq, a Columbia University alum explores the story of a trans girl in the dancing culture of Lahore and her relationship with a young man in a new light; representation of an underrepresented community? Check! My favorite part is that the films lead is also played by a trans woman. Representative casting? Check! Mo Azmi, the cinematographer of the Amina Sheikh starrer “Cake” was the director of production and if Cake was anything, it was a visual treat. Each scene brilliant in its own light; I remember being in love with the cinematography. It’ll be exciting to see what he’s done with Darling, especially in a background such as Lahores.
Darling recently won the Best Short Film Award at the Venice Film Fest (VFF), the film also making the cut for the Berlin and Cannes film festivals. Which brings me to why I’m hyped: Darling seems like a promising product of storytelling by the right storytellers. It’s currently being shown at the Islamabad Art Festival and we’re not sure when it’ll be accessible to the public but it’s something we’re keeping an eye on and so should you!
