Talking Faith at ISAFF Seattle
Talking Faith will be premiering internationally at 4th Independent South Asian Film Festival (ISAFF) in Seattle, US in October, 2007. The five-day film festival is Tasveer’s most extensive production. Tasveer is a Northwest not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promote independent South Asian cinema. The festival will be screening films and video works on subjects related to South Asia or its Diaspora.
The festival fondly referred to as ISAFF is an extravaganza that takes place every year. It has showcased films like Me and the Mosque, Silent Waters and White Noise to name a few. It creates a lively, stimulating and focused environment for conversation, education and exploration of issues that South Asia faces. Through a series of film screenings, panel discussions, workshops, and cultural programming, it involves audience not just with the film and video work presented, but to create a prolonged space where the social, political, personal and international issues coming out of those works can be discussed and understood.
This is so wonderful to know that a documentry young film maker from Pakistan will be screened in Seattle,Congratulations to Naveen and her team.
I am so glad that you have been able to address this critical area of human
relationship. The perspectives of inter-religious relations in the context of a nation with Muslim majority- and a vulnerable Christian minority, in a world that is dominated by a “western socio-economic model” which seem to be identified as Christian in much of the non- Christian world. It is almost like naming a market or a company “Christian”. It is
mostly in name. The ethical and philosophical traits of the teachings of Jesus can hardly be traced in these models. But unfortunately, Christians in marginalised and in minority situations such as in Pakistan and many other countries seem to carry the heavy cross of a distant, yet powerful “Christian” empire.
In the midst of these complex geo-political realities, how we deal with our neighbour and how our neighbour deals with us seem to define much of the quality and the dignity of our human existence. The bible ( the “good Samaritan”s parable) reminds us that we do not choose our neighbour. So we got to deal those that we got to deal with! And how we deal with our neighbour characterises our Christianity!
Your work I believe will assist communities to deal with the daily challenge of being and having good neighbours.