Basanti Biscope

Screening of Documentary Films on the Themes of Basant, Sufism and Music

Some of the following documentary films (besides some others) are scheduled for screening.

Basant
Directed by Yousuf Saeed 13 minutes, New Delhi, Hindustani, 1997

A short film documenting a day in the life of Sufis and Qawwals at the dargah of Nizamuddin, celebrating Basant. This film has been shown at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF'98), and also in the 6th International Short Film Festival, Dhaka (Bangladesh) 1999, and at a symposium in Harvard University in 2002, besides being telecast on the Doordarshan.
Download/watch this film here

Mela Basant Bahar
Directed by Samina Aslam (Eveready Pictures Pvt. Ltd., Karachi)
25 minutes, Karachi, Urdu and English

A colourful film about the Basant celebration at Lahore, focusing on the kite-flying events in Lahore and other Pakistani towns. Telecasted on PTV, and participated at Film South Asia Festival, Kathmandu, Nepal, the film traces the history of kite flying from the Mughal period to the modern times.

Portraits of Belonging: Bhai Mian
Directed by Samira Jain (Sublunar Films Production)
34 minutes, New Delhi, Hindustani, 1998

Portrait of a traditional kite-maker, Bhai Mian, from the old city of Delhi, a man whose ordinariness barely conceals his imagination and resilience. The film was awarded a certificate of merit at MIFF'98, besides participating in many other national and international film festivals.

Boojh Sakey to Boojh: Amir Khusrau
Directed by Iffat Fatima and Yousuf Saeed (Doordarshan, Delhi)
30 minutes, New Delhi, Hindustani, 1997
Last part of the 4 part series on the poetic and cultural legacy of 12^th century poet Amir Khusrau. This episode, called Saaz, is an exploration of the musical traditions attributed to Khusrau and Hazrat Nizamuddin, the Chishti Sufi saint of Delhi.

Basant Mela
Directed by Samina Aslam (Eveready Pictures Pvt. Ltd., Karachi)
50 minutes, Karachi, Urdu