A short film made by Pakistani student Umar Riaz, of New York University film department, has been selected for the 20th Raindance Film Festival and will also be screened at Picadilly Circus in UK.
After Pakistan’s blockbuster films such as Bol and Seedlings got acclaimed at international platforms, the film by Umar Riaz, a Pakistani student in New York, has also received huge appreciation. The film is inspired by an Edgar Allen Poe story and is set in 1947, followed by Indo-Pak partition. It catches the final moments of Arastu Jan who is an isolated butler to an old British colonialist, performed by Umar Riaz himself.
His film is nominated for Europe’s leading independent film festival, Raindance Film Festival 2012, which promotes independent films and film-makers from across the globe. The film is Produced by Alexis Gambis, Shruti Ganguly and Heather Jack with major portions of the movie shot in Lahore.
Umar Riaz has also been announced as a finalist at the Student Academy Awards, selected out of approximately 1,000 college entries, from across the world, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film was also premiered at the famous Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
A short film made by Pakistani student Umar Riaz, of New York University film department, has been selected for the 20th Raindance Film Festival and will also be screened at Picadilly Circus in UK.
