By Minahil Makhdoom
ISLAMABAD: Traumatised, sickened, betrayed, threatened, and most importantly alone – these are just a few among the myriad of feelings a rape survivor juggles with in a country like Pakistan. Based on a real life event, a recent Pakistani-American short film, Blue: A kaleidoscope by Danial K. Afzal, reflects upon the chilling tale of a rape survivor.
The nine minute short film, which was initially delayed because of the lockdown, is now available for viewing on Instagram. The release comes after the Lahore-Sialkot motorway incident and the murder of a six-year-old in Karachi’s PIB Colony.
“Earlier, the murder of Zainab Ansari brought Pakistan out on the streets. The chants of ‘Rape’ ‘Bachi’ (adolescent girl) ‘Ziyadti’ (abuse) became so triggering that people felt their children weren’t safe anymore,†said Afzal.
“My question from the get go was ‘why now?’ This has been going on in Pakistan for a long time and Kasur was always infamous for such incidents. That being said, this film is dedicated to all those women who’ve been judged and hushed for being victims of rape,†the director added.
Blue reflects upon the struggles of a rape survivor, who suffered the abuse at the meager age of 10, and was filmed during the act. The recording was then made available for everyone else to see. The film was recommended by the programmer at the Oscar-Qualifying Tribecca and was screened at the 25th IFVA and WOW British Council.
Produced by a Chicago based company , Arash visual Inc, it is inspired by a BBC news report by Amber Shamsi, titled, How rape was filmed and shared in Pakistan. It attempts at compelling the audience to experience the pain of a survivor, and there’s no denying the feeling is far from just blue.
Afzal, a graduate of Lewis & Clark, has depicted how the world around this rape survivor reacts. With lack of support and negligible room to breathe and vent, within nine minutes, the director manages to portray how it is the aftermath that drives the already traumatised survivor, insane.
