Small Time Cinema
Small Time Cinema is a documentary about two groups of Youtube filmmakers—one in Hazara Town in Quetta, Pakistan; the other in Sipajhar in Assam, India, respectively. Though they are inspired by Bollywood, they aspire to make their films in their native languages and about their own communities and problems. Despite the financial restraints and holding identities that are continuously attacked and marginalised, with their humour and wit, the two groups strive to make films—even if that’s for their tiny audience on the internet.
Through the film, we wish to understand how the idea of a ‘national identity’ is challenged by their films. ‘Small Time Cinema’ is a celebration of these groups, who are making space for their complex history and cultures, beyond a blanket ‘Indian or Pakistani identity’ only.
Film Makers
Ali Haider
Ali Haider is a filmmaker belonging to the Hazara community-based in Quetta, Pakistan. He has graduated in filmmaking from Iqra University Karachi. His directorial debut Seven Vertical Miles won the 1st prize in the national-level film competition organized by Deutsche Welle (DW) and DAWN in 2019. The film takes viewers on a journey several miles under the ground, deep into the coal mines of the Balochistan province that borders Iran and Afghanistan. His other short film ‘Color of Affliction’ was a finalist in Focus on Ability short film festival in Australia. Ali has also worked as a cinematographer on a film at the Kartarpur corridor for Deutsche Welle. He is currently working on his first feature Documentary film.
Priya Naresh
Priya Naresh is a filmmaker based in India. Her curiosity currently has been to find a space between non-fiction and fiction filmmaking. Her past work has been around themes of cities and migration. She has made two short films and has received the International Young Filmmaker’s Award in Germany. Her films travelled to festivals in India and abroad.
Ghania Siddique
Ghania Siddique is a filmmaker-cinematographer, based out of Mumbai, India. Most of her work explores themes of memory, place and identity, with a focus on stories from the margins, and those who are systematically silenced. She understands her storytelling as a cusp of visual design, movement and filmmaking.
Ghania has helmed the camera for more than 20 short documentaries. She is the Producer and editor of ‘Tiffin’, a short fiction film about the alienation felt by Muslim children in an increasingly right-wing India, that has been doing the round in film festivals in South Asia. She is currently directing a documentary on women from the Anti CAA- NRC protests that began in India in 2019.
She completed her Master’s in Mass Communication, from AJK MCRC New Delhi, and has a Bachelor’s Honour degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University. Besides Film and Media, she actively practices theatre and music.
https://vimeo.com/ghania
Film Makers
Ali Haider
Ali Haider is a filmmaker belonging to the Hazara community-based in Quetta, Pakistan. He has graduated in filmmaking from Iqra University Karachi. His directorial debut Seven Vertical Miles won the 1st prize in the national-level film competition organized by Deutsche Welle (DW) and DAWN in 2019. The film takes viewers on a journey several miles under the ground, deep into the coal mines of the Balochistan province that borders Iran and Afghanistan. His other short film ‘Color of Affliction’ was a finalist in Focus on Ability short film festival in Australia. Ali has also worked as a cinematographer on a film at the Kartarpur corridor for Deutsche Welle. He is currently working on his first feature Documentary film.
Priya Naresh
Priya Naresh is a filmmaker based in India. Her curiosity currently has been to find a space between non-fiction and fiction filmmaking. Her past work has been around themes of cities and migration. She has made two short films and has received the International Young Filmmaker’s Award in Germany. Her films travelled to festivals in India and abroad.
Ghania Siddique
Ghania Siddique is a filmmaker-cinematographer, based out of Mumbai, India. Most of her work explores themes of memory, place and identity, with a focus on stories from the margins, and those who are systematically silenced. She understands her storytelling as a cusp of visual design, movement and filmmaking.
Ghania has helmed the camera for more than 20 short documentaries. She is the Producer and editor of ‘Tiffin’, a short fiction film about the alienation felt by Muslim children in an increasingly right-wing India, that has been doing the round in film festivals in South Asia. She is currently directing a documentary on women from the Anti CAA- NRC protests that began in India in 2019.
She completed her Master’s in Mass Communication, from AJK MCRC New Delhi, and has a Bachelor’s Honour degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University. Besides Film and Media, she actively practices theatre and music.
https://vimeo.com/ghania
