Roaming: Without Shepherds

Imran has spent 20 years as a filmmaker in Pakistan, moving to Canada to seek new experiences five years ago. His role as a documentary filmmaker and a storyteller has always been to make a conscious effort to break down the socio-cultural barriers we put between one another. By focussing on similarities rather than differences, the stories he tells attempt to replace ignorance with information, and fear with empathy. Imran is a co-director of Without Shepherds, a joint American-Pakistani documentary that follows the life of six Pakistani citizens and their struggle to make Pakistan a better place.

The event we envision is an immersive film screening of Without Shepherds, complete with Pakistani cuisine and involved discussions. Here is a basic outline of the event we envision taking place:

  1. Set-up and Pre-Screening Interview: With consent, we plan to record what willing participants share with us about their knowledge and perceptions of Pakistan before and after the event and screening.

  2. Drop-In Lunch: Participants will be able to sample different types of homemade Pakistani food at the event - Ideally, the event would have a food truck parked outside the venue, where two popular Pakistani 'street foods' will be on the menu.

  3. Dinner & Music: Musicians from Pakistan, such as Arieb Azhar or Mekaal Hassan will be part of the troupe, providing an immersive live music experience.

  4. Film Screening + Q&A: Film director will host a Q&A discussion after the screening.

  5. Post-Screening Interview: After watching the film, we plan to record and re-interview the same participants about their perceptions of Pakistan.

Interested? Get in touch!

As you can see, this is a fully immersive cultural experience; one that we hope many Canadians can glean something meaningful from. Our hope is that by showcasing Without Shepherds in your community and sharing a space to listen, eat and learn together, we may be able to break down fear-based perceptions of diverse cultures. If you are interested in collaborating with Imran and showing Without Shepherds in your community, click the button below and contact me so that we can begin to plan what this screening would look like in your area.