Directed by Mahwish Khalil
Produced by Huma Gupta
Executive Producers:
Mahwish Khalil
Meitha Al Mazrooei
Sound Production by Hamza Khalil
Supported by The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT
A Climate Futures, Cities Past Production
The filmmaker arrives on site to record the tales of the river Ravi. She hears the voice of the river echo within its shallow waves. Amidst the gentle strokes of an oar propelling their wooden boat, the filmmaker also engages in dialogue with an aging boatman, Azeem, who recounts a lifetime that has been intimately intertwined with the river. With a somber gaze, he vividly recalls the floods of 1988, sharing his heroic role in rescuing victims from its destruction. Moved by this recollection, the river itself responds in prose, lamenting on the memories washed away with the flood waters that once surged through its depths. As they navigate the dry expanse, Azeem reflects upon the desolate panorama, with an absence of water, far and few visitors, and the emptiness of the land revealing stories of the bridge’s construction, the significance of his boats in aiding the construction, its need in catering to the demands of this rapidly growing populated yet distant city. At the riverbank, the camera gracefully pans, capturing the black-winged Kites soaring above the water, their presence commanding the sky. With synchronized precision, they swoop down, gracefully collecting the morsels of meat tossed by citizens over the Ravi Bridge, a ritual, a homage they call ‘sacrifice. Together, the filmmaker, the boatman, and the river embark on profound exploration, capturing fragments of the past while hinting at the uncertain future that lies ahead.
Read more about the film making workshop: https://jaeonline.org/issue-article/may-our-egos-die-so-that-the-world-may-live/
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