pakistan — Features

“We have struggled for the bare minimum in this life” – Joyland's Alina Khan on the reality of being a Pakistani trans woman

Sara Hussain sits down with actress Alina Khan, the protagonist in Joyland – a tale of hardship and heartbreak which, despite receiving a ten minute ovation at Cannes Film Festival, was partly banned in Pakistan. Alina opens up about the struggles of the Pakistani trans community, the barriers she’s faced with acting and what this film truly means to her.

ARTS & CULTUREAZEEMA -March 17, 2023joyland, alina khan, trans community, lgbtqia, pakistan

Photographer Ramshah Kanwal discovers her 'Generational Gifts' on a recent trip to her birth place, Pakistan

New York-based Photographer Ramshah Kanwal revisits her birth place, Pakistan, after 17 years. Sharing special moments with the women in her family, Ramshah discovers the generational gifts passed down to her. Here, she documents just some of those generational gifts.

ARTS & CULTUREAZEEMA -March 25, 2022ramshah kanwal, photography, pakistan

Filmmaker Sonita Gale documents the UK's hostile migration environment through her personal South Asian history

Documentary filmmaker Sonita Gale talks us through her reasons behind making her recent BAFTA-shortlisted film ‘Hostile’ and how her family’s migration from India to working-class white neighbourhoods in the North of England has inspired her wider creative and political work.

Overcoming Picture Day in Salwar Kameez and my ‘uptowns’

Ramshah Kanwal would experience anxiety over picture day, knowing she would have to wear Salwar Kameez in front of her predominantly white school mates. In her story of courage and growth, she reflects on why wearing traditional clothes for the picture day is so important to immigrant families with relatives abroad.

ARTS & CULTUREAZEEMA -December 28, 2020picture day, traditional clothing, pakistan, salwar kameez