Film on Pakistani Sufi Shrines

Saturday, January 12, 2002 (Although this is old news, perhaps the film has now been made, and so it should be better known -- 'Abd al-Haqq Sept. 23, 2005)

French, Pakistani filmmakers to make documentary on shrines
By Shoaib AhmedLAHORE: A French filmmaker is collaborating with a Pakistani director to produce a series of documentaries exploring the architectural, artistic and spiritual importance of Pakistan’s shrines.The duo previously shot an internationally acclaimed 90-minute feature exploring the state of classical dance in Pakistan entitled Laatoo, which was first screened at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, attracting much critical recognition.Frenchwoman Alix Phillippon and Pakistani Faizan Pirzada have now commenced work on the new project, The Pakistani Shrines, exploring sites up to 1,300 years old.Mr Pirzada told Daily Times that there were over 418 shrines in Punjab alone, of which 30–40 were of vast historical interest. The director said his team had traveled across 60 percent of Punjab while filming the shrines. He said he and Ms Phillippon would produce three 30 minutes documentaries, each covering three major aspects, spiritual, architectural and literary. He added production and editing would take around six months. The documentaries feature Sufi music and Sufi kalaam sung by folk singers, and would help in documenting the history of Pakistan’s shrines while drawing attention to their present condition and the performance of the site’s care-takers.Lahore-born Mr Pirzada, whose father was the celebrated Pakistani playwright Rafi Peer, began his career at Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in 1977 and rose to become artistic director. He is also a puppeteer of distinction, and has been awarded the President’s Medal for Pride of Performance.Ms Phillippon spent a year in Peshawar in 1999-2000 working at the French Cultural Centre, of which she was later appointed deputy director.