Saja

Join us for a conversation with filmmaker Afia Nathaniel, whose feature film, "Dukhtar" was Pakistan’s official submission for Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards®. In a village in Pakistan, a young mother Allah Rakhi (Samiya Mumtaz) kidnaps her ten-year-old daughter Zainab (Saleha Aref) to save her from a child marriage to a tribal leader. Their daring escape triggers a deadly hunt for them. With the pursuers close behind, the mother strikes an unlikely deal with Sohail (Mohib Mirza) a cynical ex-Mujahid truck driver to take them to Lahore. Carefully dodging the far-reaching influence of the tribal leader, the trio embark on an epic journey through the sweeping landscape of Pakistan where the search for freedom and love comes with a price. After a rousing reception at Toronto International Film Festival 2014 and in over 20 countries since then, the critically acclaimed "Dukhtar" recently screened in New York and Los Angeles from Pakistan for its one-week theatrical release. Team Dukhtar:  Pr