My Pure Land

My Pure Land is a 2017 Urdu-language British drama film directed by British Pakistani filmmaker Sarmad Masud.[3] It was selected as the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[4] It was the first time the United Kingdom had submitted an Urdu-language film.[5]

My Pure Land
Film poster
Directed bySarmad Masud
Produced byBill Kenwright
Written bySarmad Masud
StarringSuhaee Abro
Salman Ahmed Khan
Razia Malik
Tayyab Ifzal
Eman Fatima
Music byTristan Cassel-Delavois
CinematographyHaider Zafar
Edited byOlly Stothert
Distributed byBill Kenwright Films
Release date
  • 24 June 2017 (2017-06-24) (EIFF)
  • 15 September 2017 (2017-09-15) (UK)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageUrdu
Box office$17,157[1][2]

Inspiration

British-Pakistani filmmaker Sarmad (Sam) Masud, born in Bradford to immigrant parents, based the film on the life of Nazo Dharejo, after reading a 2012 story in The Express Tribune that called her "the toughest woman in Sindh."[6][7][8] Masud describes the film as "a modern-day feminist Western set in Pakistan, based on the extraordinary true story of one woman and her family who defended their home and land from 200 bandits."[9]

Plot

Nazo Dharejo lives on a farm in rural Sindh, with her parents, two sisters, and an older brother. Early in the film, her father encourages his daughters as well as his son to value the land and be prepared to defend it: ""No matter what happens, you need to protect this land. This isn't just land. This is your honour."[6] After Nazo's father and brother are arrested, a scheming uncle tries to lay claim to the family farm. Nazo, with her mother and sisters, defends their land, even when it is attacked by 200 mercenaries, hired by the uncle.[10]

Reception

After its debut showing at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival, My Pure Land was selected as the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, marking the first time the United Kingdom had submitted an Urdu language film.[5] Although it did not become one of the Academy's nominees, the "Oscar connection" helped to boost the film's profile.[11]

Reviewers generally praised the film's beauty, its emotional impact, and the acting of Pakistani dancer Suhaee Abro as the teenaged protagonist Nazo Dharejo. The extensive use of flashbacks was interesting to some and confusing to others.[11] The Guardian gave the film two stars out of five, calling it "a good idea gone slightly awry."[12] The Times, giving it four out of five stars, called the film "lyrical, heart-poundingly tense and strikingly feminist."[13]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 94% based on reviews from 17 critics.[14]

Cast
  • Suhaee Abro as Nazo
  • Salman Ahmed Khan as Amir
  • Tanveer Hussain Syed as Baba
  • Razia Malik as Waderi
  • Tayyab Ifzal as Zulfiqar
  • Eman Fatima[15]

See also

References
  1. "My Pure Land". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. "My Pure Land". The Numbers. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. Carter, Ashley (14 September 2017). "Could This Nottingham Filmmaker Win An Oscar?". Left Lion. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. Pond, Steve (14 December 2017). "Oscars Foreign Language Shortlist Includes 'The Square,' 'A Fantastic Woman'". The Wrap. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  5. Roxborough, Scott (14 September 2017). "Oscars: U.K. Selects 'My Pure Land' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 September 2017. The U.K. has picked My Pure Land, an Urdu-language feature from first-time director Sarmad Masud, as its submission for consideration for the 2018 Oscars in the foreign-language film category. This marks the first time Britain has submitted an Urdu-language title to be its Oscar hopeful.
  6. Safdar, Anealla (2 October 2017). "Sarmad Masud on feminism, My Pure Land, and Pakistan". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 7 December 2018. I came across an article in The Express Tribune - "Meet Nazo Dhajero: The toughest woman in Sindh" - and sent the journalists who wrote it an email. That's how I got to speak to Nazo.
  7. Imtiaz, Saba (17 June 2012). "Meet Nazo Dharejo: The toughest woman in Sindh". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 29 December 2018. xx
  8. Sharma, Isha (7 December 2018). "In A First, An Urdu Film Has Made A Cut As England's Official Submission To The Oscars!". India Times. Retrieved 29 December 2018. The film is based on the real story of Nazo Dharejo, who grew up in a rural pocket of Sindh with her two sisters and elder brother. Nazo's father, Khuda Buksh was a farmer and her mother Waderi Jamzadi had to raise her children.
  9. Carter, Ashley (7 September 2017). "Interview: My Pure Land director Sam Masud". LeftLion. Retrieved 29 December 2018. It’s a modern-day feminist Western set in Pakistan, based on the extraordinary true story of one woman and her family who defended their home and land from 200 bandits. The film was self-funded via friends and family and our last investor was the great supporter of Pakistani cinema - Mr Bill Kenwright.
  10. "British Council Film: My Pure Land". film.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  11. Dalton, Stephen (4 November 2017). "'My Pure Land': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  12. "My Pure Land review – a good idea gone slightly awry". The Guardian. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018. It’s a good idea (a female-centric Pakistani western, shot on location!) that doesn’t quite hang together, though there are things to appreciate, such as Haider Zafar’s cinematography, which captures the gorgeous, stoic Nazo in silhouette at sunset and lit by moonlight.
  13. Potton, Ed (15 September 2017). "Film review: My Pure Land". The Times. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  14. "My Pure Land (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  15. "Dubai International Film Festival | Films 2017 - My Pure Land". Dubai International Film Festival. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
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