The film follows the election journey of transgender candidate Nayyab Ali, who contested the National Assembly seat from Okara, Punjab in the 2018 general election in Pakistan. The documentary evolves around her passioned yet struggling campaign, the issues that she is fighting for and the highs and lows of engaging in a democratic process that is skewed in favour of the rich and powerful. The transgender community’s fight for effective political representation unfolds through the eyes of the protagonist, a transwoman who dreams of the betterment of her community and of the day when transgender people will reach Pakistan’s assemblies.
Tazeen Bari is a documentary filmmaker based in Pakistan. Her films have explored issues of social justice, the situation of women and the rights of labour. Her latest LETTERS FROM DEATH ROW was acquired by Al Jazeera for Witness and released in late 2019. In 2017 her documentary on social media star Qandeel Baloch was released by Guardian documentaries (QUANDEEL, 25 min, co-directed with Saad Khan). It has over a million views and won the Women Voices Now award. Her film MATKAY PAY THAPPA followed the story of Veero Kohli, a freed bonded labourer who stood in the 2013 general election. In 2016 she made a film under the mentorship of legendary Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami at a workshop in Cuba. Tazeen has worked as a producer for two time academy award winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and also produced an episode for the Emmy Nominated Vice series WOMAN with Gloria Steinem. She is currently in production for HEROINS: A SOUTH ASIAN TRILOGY that tells the personal stories of women in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh’s film industry. Tazeen is one of the founding members of the Documentary Association of Pakistan and is also currently developing her first fiction script.
Director: Tazeen Bari
Cinematography: Shamber Alexander, Tazeen Bari
Editing: Caterina Monzani
Contact: tazeenb@gmail.com
Commissioned by Heinrich Böll Stiftung
