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In Flames
In Flames
October 21 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm IST
A film screening of In Flames written and directed by Zarrar Kahn. In the film, Mariam’s precarious existence is ripped apart when her father passes. Living in a deep-rooted and toxic patriarchy, Mariam and her mother must find the strength to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to swallow them. This film screening is bringing more underrepresented stories to audiences with the support of the BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding National Lottery funding. In Flames is in Urdu with subtitles. The film is presented in associated with Access Cinema.
Book Your Place
Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door) / €5 (student)
Artists
Directed and written by Zarrar Kahn
Film Cast include Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Jibraan Khan and Adnan Shah Tipu
Full Event Details
In Flames is a Pakistani-Canadian supernatural horror drama film written, directed and co-edited by Zarrar Kahn in his feature directorial debut. Mariam’s precarious existence is ripped apart when her father passes. Living in a deep-rooted and toxic patriarchy, Mariam and her mother must find the strength to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to swallow them. Bringing more underrepresented stories to audiences with the support of the BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.
Directed by Zarrar Kahn | 98 mins | Cert 15A | Urdu with subtitles
Presented in association with Access Cinema.
The following is a description of the film from Toronto International Film festival (TIFF), a non-profit cultural organisation with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film.
https://tiff.net/events/in-flames
In present-day Karachi, a medical student Mariam (Ramesha Nawal) struggles to keep her family together while being stalked by forces she can’t entirely understand while preparing for her upcoming exams. She is still dealing with the fresh loss of her grandfather and doing her best to support her grieving mother (Bakhtawar Mazhar) and brother (Jibraan Khan). An estranged uncle (Adnan Shah Tipu) re-enters their lives and declares himself their new patriarch, making noises about handling their finances out of the kindness of his heart. Mariam’s mother is grateful for the help; Mariam can see disaster looming.
Asad (Omar Javaid), a charming fellow student freshly back from Canada, offers the possibility of romance and security, but even that is fraught with its own specific dangers. And after a motorcycle accident, Mariam finds herself even more alone and vulnerable. Something seems to be stalking her through the streets, something that never quite comes into focus but whose presence she can feel at every turn.
In Flames is a gripping drama about trauma, internalized abuse, and the misogyny woven into the fabric of any fundamentalist culture, with a streak of Guillermo del Toro’s empathetic ghost stories, in which spirits return with agendas the living cannot fully comprehend. In his feature directorial debut, Zarrar Kahn tells a story of women — not just Mariam, but her mother as well — forced to navigate the random violence of their oppressive, patriarchal society.
Artist Biographies:
Zarrar Kahn is an award-winning Canadian-Pakistani writer, director and producer. He is an alumnus of the TIFF Talent Lab, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Open Doors Locarno, Asian Film Academy and Director’s Lab program at the Canadian Film Centre. His works have been screened and awarded in over 70+ film festivals worldwide, including TIFF, Locarno, and BFI London. Kahn is in post-production on his debut feature film, In Flames.
The project won the Motion Picture Association, Asia-Pacific First Prize award at Asian Film Academy 2019, was selected for Berlinale Talent Project Market 2020 and participated at the Frontières Buyers Showcase program at Cannes 2022. The feature film is also a supported by the Locarno Open Doors Screenwriting Fellowship, CFC/Netflix Calling Card Accelerator Grant, Telefilm’s 2020 Talent to Watch program & Canada Arts Council.
Riverbank Arts Centre
Riverbank Arts Centre is the county arts centre based in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, funded by The Arts Council and Kildare County Council. Riverbank Arts Centre works in partnership with international, national and local artists to deliver an accessible and consistently high quality arts programme in an intimate environment. Riverbank Arts Centre provide a multi-disciplinary programme which includes theatre, cinema, comedy, music, dance, workshops and visual arts.
Organisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):
