The veteran filmmaker’s Saawan,also Pakistan’s entry for the 90th Academy Awards, couldn’t be accommodated in IFFI’s final programming owing to “scheduling constraints”
Dean Lobo (BOMBAY TIMES; November 24, 2017)

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Malayalam film, S Durga, might have earned its rightful place back in the Indian Panorama section of the ongoing 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) after its screening was ordered by the Kerala High Court this week. However, after Ravi Jadhav’s Marathi film Nude (also dropped from the Indian Panorama section), Saawan — Pakistan’s official entry to the 90th Academy Awards — hasn’t been featured as part of the final programming. The film was to be screened as a part of IFFI’s Cinema of the World section.

Directed and shot by Virginia-based Pakistani filmmaker Farhan Alam and edited by Indian film editor Aseem Sinha, Saawan is inspired by true events. It revolves around a polio-stricken nine-year-old child (Syed Karam Hussain) who is rejected by his father and left to die in Baluchistan’s wilderness. Driven by the memories of his mother, the child embarks on a perilous journey back home.

On October 26, Farhan had received an official letter from Sunit Tandon, festival director of IFFI (a copy of the email is with us), inviting him to present the film and interact with the audience. Speaking from Virginia, Farhan says, “Subsequently, I sent the DCP (Digital Cinema Package), the shipping cost of which was taken care of by the organisers. As mentioned in the letter, I was also offered an economy ticket and a four-night accommodation for the festival.” The letter was also copied to the High Commission of India, Pakistan, with a request to issue a gratis visa to Farhan.

However, on November 4, 16 days before IFFI commenced, Farhan received another email from Deepika Suseelan of IFFI’s Film Selection and Programming Department, stating that “Due to scheduling constraints, (they were) unable to showcase some of the titles originally planned.” Apologising for the inconvenience, the email mentioned that immediate arrangements would be made for the film DCP to be returned to him.

“It was upsetting to find that the film had been dropped. I was excited to come to India and share my film with the audience, and meet fellow filmmakers,” says Farhan, who had also heard about Nude and S Durga’s fate at the festival from Aseem.

At a time when India and Pakistan do not share great cultural relations, this film with a universal message could have served as a great unifier. Farhan says, “I was excited to participate in the festival. The subject of Saawan is not just a ‘Pakistani’ issue; it’s an issue that is shared across the globe.”

Now since the arrangements would have to be made for the screening of S Durga, we were keen to know whether there was a possibility of accommodating Saawan in the schedule, too.

We reached out to Sunit Tandon but did not hear from him till the time of going to press.