Young Pakistani Filmmaker Keeps An Eye On Climate Change

All set to be screened at the Austin Film Festival and the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival this month (and in November), The Round Lake, a short film from Pakistan, highlights one of the country’s most pressing issues: water scarcity.

Set in Lahore in 2030, the eye-opening production revolves around two sisters desperately in search for water to keep themselves and their families alive. Written and produced by Hira Sheraz Yousafzai and directed by Zayan Agha, The Round Lake was one of five films that won a grant under the Novo Amor 565 Fund this year.

Starring Sayeda Pakeezah, Eman Suleman, Adeel Afzal and more, the production is also due to be screened at the Climate Benefit Concert by the Climate Foundation, scheduled next month.

“Environmental sciences was always something that was of deep interest to me when I was growing up,” states Agha. “During my filmmaking degree at the National College of Arts [NCA], I made documentaries on Lahore’s toxic smog season and the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic in Pakistan. For the latter, I highlighted the link between kerosene lamps and the disease. After making The Round Lake, I realized how important it was to make timely productions on climate change in South Asia.”

For Agha, packaging films and documentaries with subliminal undertones creates a long-lasting impact on audiences that can push them to take climate change seriously.

“What we’re trying to do is to present climate change in the same way audiences see the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, the ocean in Titanic or a ghost in a horror flick,” the 27-year-old filmmaker says, “I want to show climate-related hazards in the same way…to give it traits and depict tangible consequences of a demon so that people wake up. The days of climate change being a topic swept under the rug are over. It’s happening and is going to continue in our lifetimes. This approach is the only way we’ll be able to penetrate the mindsets of the masses in not just Pakistan, but across the world too.”

Apart from his interest in directing and producing climate-related productions, Agha continues to spearhead music videos for Pakistan’s Indie music scene, in addition to producing local web series, such as; Phataak (on the drug epidemic in Pakistan) and Begunah (based on Pakistan’s juveline justice system).

“We’ve been hearing about the revival of Pakistani cinema for years now, but a true revival is not going to happen unless and until we define our own signature style such as for instance, Iranian and Indian films – both countries have their distinct style of filmmaking,” states Agha. “I think as young Pakistani filmmakers we have the liberty to define our voice, but it will take a while before we find it.”

Currently working on documentaries for international and local non-profits, a film in tandem with a US-based production house, including music videos for local music artistes, Misbah Uddin and Rizzy Rozeo, Agha is excitedly awaiting the result of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (a fellowship that receives thousands of applications on a yearly basis) in December.

“If we want to empower the next generation of filmmakers in Pakistan, we need to start early on, by creating an awareness about the craft of filmmaking from a very young age,” he says.

“The Pakistani filmmaking community also needs to start coming together and working for the local industry’s revival as a joint force to create an identity. It will go a long way in elevating Pakistani cinema.”