Tag: Documentary

  • ‘Be honest’: David Beckham’s hilarious takedown of wife Victoria is winning Twitter

    ‘Be honest’: David Beckham’s hilarious takedown of wife Victoria is winning Twitter

    Netflix just released a documentary on the life of the British footballer David Beckham. The documentary details the biggest moments of his career and the controversies that happened. The film also provides an insight into his relatonship to former Spice Girls singer and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, whom he married in 1999 and shares four children with.

    A clip from the documentary is going viral on social media where David hilariously challenges Victoria’s claim she came from a working class family. The ‘Wannabe’ singer can be seen talking about how she came from a working class family, when David cheekily interrupts and says, “Be honest”. When Victoria tries justifying her stance, he hilariously reminds the fashion designer that she went to school in a Rolls Royce car.

    The 25 second clip is going viral on Twitter with users in fits at how David roasted his wife on her ‘working class family’ claims.

    “I’ve watched this like a million times and it’s funny every single time!!!! Like he opened the door, ate my sister up and shut the door UNPROVOKED,” one user wrote.

  • ‘I used to sell nimco to pay my school fees’: Haris Rauf’s documentary reflects childhood struggles

    ‘I used to sell nimco to pay my school fees’: Haris Rauf’s documentary reflects childhood struggles

    ESPN released a documentary on September 30 on the rise of Pakistan cricket star Haris Rauf. The documentary details his journey, from humble beginnings to being declared as one of Pakistan’s best cricket players. In the 27 minute documentary, Haris opened up about struggling to work in order to pay his university fee, revealing that he sold nimco in streets in order to get by as his father couldn’t make enough to afford his schooling.

    “I used to play tape ball cricket in order earn money for my studies. My father wasn’t earning enough to pay for my studies,” the cricket star revealed. “After matriculation, I used to work in the market, I sold nimco on Sundays in order to be able to pay my fees. The rest of the week I would be attending school and the academy.”

    In the documentary, Haris could be seen walking around his old home, speaking about how money was a big concern for his family during his teenage years:

    “My father had three brothers and we all lived together. The biggest room belonged to my father. We used to live in that room before my uncle got married. As my uncles got married, my father gave them the bigger rooms and started moving to the small ones. Eventually, we reached a point that we were sleeping in the kitchen.”

    Clips from the documentary, showing Haris walking to his old home, is currently going viral on social media, with many users getting emotional at the cricket star’s candid confessions about growing up in a financially struggling family to becoming one of the biggest stars of Pakistan

    “From selling Nimko in local markets to financing his education, to becoming one of the most feared bowlers in the world today, Haris Rauf‘s journey is a fascinating story that inspires generations,” one user wrote.

    Watch the complete documentary here.

  • Pakistani documentary ‘As Far As They Can Run’ bags Emmy nomination

    Pakistani documentary ‘As Far As They Can Run’ bags Emmy nomination

    Another proud moment for Pakistani entertainment! The documentary ‘As Far As They Can Run’ was nominated for the prestigious Emmy awards under the category ‘Oustanding Documentary Short’. Haya Fatima Iqbal was the field producer along with Ziad Zafar co-producer, Tanaz Eshaghian the director and Nadir Siddiqui was the cinematographer behind this project.

    The film follows the lives of three young adults dealing with intellectual disabilities, while competing for the Special Olympics.

    The filmmaker, who had previously won an Oscar and two Emmys, shared the exciting news on her Instagram stories, revealing that one of the kids in the film, Sana Kapri, lit the torch at the Special Olympics in Berlin only a month ago.

    It was a joy and honour for me to witness the care and love that the coaches put into this work to ensure that these children can fly high,” she gushed about the project.

    Haya Fatima Iqbal has previously been a producer for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s 2015 documentary ‘A Girl In The River’, an exploration of honor killings in Pakistan. The film followed the story of a woman who survived attempted murder at the hands of her family, after she married of her own choice. The documentary received critical acclaim and won an Oscar for ‘Best Documentary Short’.

  • Censor Board bans documentary ‘My Mother’s Daughter’ about forced religious conversion

    Censor Board bans documentary ‘My Mother’s Daughter’ about forced religious conversion

    Filmmakers Ahmen Khawaja and Mariam Khan took to their social media accounts to call out Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors for censoring their short documentary ‘My Mother’s Documentary’ which was due to screen at the Women International Film Festival.
    The documentary explores the issue of forced religious conversions by following the life of a minor christian girl who was abducted and forcibly married to a middle-aged man.
    Khan shared the letter sent by the censor board which had based its reasons for censoring the film by calling it “propaganda” as well as for highlighting “wrong values” which are “against the Pakistani culture and society.”

    Read Khan’s full statement here:

    “On International Women’s Day we found out that Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors in Islamabad (CBFC) has decided to censor our short documentary My Mother’s Daughter and is not allowing it to screen this weekend at the @womenthroughfilm film festival.

    The film follows the real story of a minor Christian girl in Faisalabad who is abducted by a middle aged man, forcefully married to him and converted to Islam. Up to 1,000 young girls are forcefully converted every year (1), and to call this propaganda is a gross injustice to their plight and stories. We spent months verifying the case and going to court hearings with the survivor to ensure the utmost authenticity in the film. The censor board seems to be of the view that our film is ‘propaganda that is trying to highlight wrong values that go against the culture in Pakistan’. Upon speaking directly with the Chairperson, we were told “the full board review can’t be done before the festival because the office is being renovated”. Please help spread the word because women’s stories deserve to be told.”

    ‘My Mother’s Daughter’ had also won the Short Documentary Award at the DC South Asian Film Festival last year.

  • Indian govt calls BBC Modi documentary ‘propaganda’

    Indian govt calls BBC Modi documentary ‘propaganda’

    The Indian foreign ministry has dismissed a BBC documentary about Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujrat riots as “propaganda”.

    The first of the two-part series was aired in the UK on Tuesday with the second part scheduled to hit airwaves a week later. The documentary tracks Modi’s first steps into politics, including his rise through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to his appointment as chief minister of Gujrat.

    Modi was still holding the position when communal riots rocked the state, leaving more than 1,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.

    According to the documentary the inquiry team had assessed that Modi had prevented the police from acting to stop the violence targeted against Muslims, stating that he had specifically ordered law-enforcing authorities not to intervene. The documentary also features a former top UK diplomat who says that the violence had been planned by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)

    Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, has termed the BBC documentary a “propaganda piece”.

    On Thursday, British PM Rishi Sunak was asked in parliament if he agreed with the report that Modi was directly responsible for the violence. In reply, Sunak defended his Indian counter-partner.

    “We don’t tolerate persecution anywhere”, the British Prime Minister said but added that “he did not agree with the characterisation” of Modi as depicted in the documentary.

  • Pak documentary about three differently-abled Pakistanis “As Far As They Can Run” shortlisted for Oscars

    Pak documentary about three differently-abled Pakistanis “As Far As They Can Run” shortlisted for Oscars

    Capping what has been a productive year for Pakistani entertainment, local documentary “As Far As They Can Run” has been shortlisted for the Oscars.

    This brings the tally of Pakistani films receiving international acclaim and getting a nomination at the Oscars to two.

    The team behind Joyland made the country proud by garnering critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival and other prestigious venues, and then getting shortlisted for an Oscar nomination.
    And now the Pakistani documentary ‘As Far As They Can Run’ too is up for the prestigious award in the ‘Documentary Short Film’ category. It explores the lives of three differently-abled adults who join a running program in Pakistan, hoping that they might change perspectives of differently-abled people in their hometown.

    The last time a Pakistani filmmaker had won an Oscar was in 2016 by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy for her film “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” which explores the custom of honor killings in Pakistan.
    Filmmaker and Producer behind the documentary Ziad Zafar shared the news from his Twitter account, where he said that he was thrilled to be part of this film and asked his followers to send him good luck.
    Fans can watch the documentary on Paramount Plus.

  • Fact Check: Sharif family ki corruption par independent documentary toh ban rehi hai, lekin it isn’t confirmed if it’s on Netflix/Amazon

    Fact Check: Sharif family ki corruption par independent documentary toh ban rehi hai, lekin it isn’t confirmed if it’s on Netflix/Amazon

    Claim: Several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) politicians and multiple social media users on Twitter are claiming that an upcoming documentary, about the alleged corruption of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and his family, will be released on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

    The trailer of the new documentary, titled “Behind Closed Doors” was released on social media on Monday, October 18.

    The trailer was shared across platforms, raking up views.

    The trailer features, amongst others, Imran Khan, the former prime minister, as well as several investigative journalists including Tom Stocks and John-Allan Namu.

    Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted, “Soon on Netflix and Amazon. A must-watch documentary on corruption very relevant as Sharifs also feature in it.”

    PTI’s Finance and Health Minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Taimur Jhagra tweeted, “A film about corruption. Coming soon to Netflix / Amazon Prime. The truth is out there. In Pakistan, sadly it just seems to lead back the same people to corridors of power, again and again.”

    Fact: According to the official website of Behind Closed Doors, the documentary highlights “Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), people who hold a public function and as a result present higher risks of being involved in bribery or corruption.” It also mentions offshore leaks which have revealed that PEPs use the British financial system and offshore jurisdictions to launder, hide and re-invest their wealth into the global financial system.

    “But what happens when a developing country fights back and attempts to get Britain to return the money that it claims has been stolen?” question the documentary makers.

    The film is produced and directed by Michael Oswald and Murtaza Mehdi. The IMDb website states that Oswald is a UK-based director, writer and editor.

    The webpage names all of Netflix’s upcoming releases till January 2023. Behind Closed Doors has not been listed.

    The website of Prime Video by Amazon Studios also does not name the documentary as an upcoming release.

    While several members of the PTI camp have claimed Behind Closed Doors will be featured on Netflix, the streaming service has made no such announcement nor have the makers of the documentary mentioned it on their website or YouTube channel.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • VIDEO: Cher drops trailer of documentary on Kaavan

    VIDEO: Cher drops trailer of documentary on Kaavan

    Kavaan’s journey from being the world’s “the loneliest elephant” to freedom in Cambodia has been captured on camera and will be seen in a documentary by Cher titled Cher and the Loneliest Elephant. It is scheduled to release on Paramount+ on April 22.

    According to details, Cher, through the film will be taking viewers along for “a touching journey about humans, animals, and our connection to all living beings on earth”.

    In Cher and the Loneliest Elephant, the singer travels to Pakistan to rescue Kaavan, an elephant who’s been neglected and living alone for years. The Smithsonian Channel documentary follows Cher as she teams up with animal experts and veterinarians to help transport Kaavan from a shed in Islamabad, where he’s been kept in chains for almost two decades, to a new home in Cambodia.

    “Elephants are just like we are. They’re so family-oriented and so emotional,” says Cher in the trailer.

    Talking about the film, Cher told Entertainment Weekly, “I saw all the people being affected by it all over the world. People want a happy ending. People don’t want to see animals suffer. And I know people are suffering too, but this is a story that can brighten their lives.”

    “I was frightened [to do this], but then I thought, what do you want to do more? You made a promise, and you have to go,” she continued. “I didn’t see any other way to do it. I have a saying on my Twitter, ‘Stand and be counted or sit and be nothing.’ And I wasn’t going to sit and be nothing.”

    The film also features a brand new track by the singer titled Walls to highlight Kavaan’s story.

    https://youtu.be/2NGJwe-rdPk

    Kavaan was first brought to Pakistan in 1985 as a gift from Sri Lanka when he was only a year old. Since then he was living at Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad with his partner Saheli, who died in 2012. After Saheli’s death, Kaavan became alone and was dubbed as the world’s loneliest elephant. He suffered from several health issues and was also mentally distressed. In 2016 he caught the attention of Cher, who along with other animal rights activists fought a long legal battle for his release and transfer.

    He was airlifted from Islamabad to Cambodia in a Russian cargo plane in November 2020.

  • Documentary on Qandeel Baloch debuts at America’s biggest documentary festival

    Documentary on Qandeel Baloch debuts at America’s biggest documentary festival

    Pakistan’s multi-award winning production house Soc Films’ latest documentary, A Life Too Short, debuted at the 11th edition of DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival.

    https://twitter.com/SOCFilms/status/1335931777840451586?s=20

    A Life Too Short chronicles the life of social media superstar, the late Qandeel Baloch, who pushed boundaries in conservative Pakistan like no other. She was killed at the age of 26 by her brother who smothered her to death for her open exclamations of women’s equality and sexuality through her sensational social media presence.

    “Making this documentary has been a labour of love for more than three years and now that it’s ready to go out into the world, I am both nervous and excited. Undoubtedly, Qandeel had big dreams and the courage to create her own identity but I am left terrified every time I realize that not all women amongst us are afforded their basic right to choose to live however they want. Yet I live for the day when there won’t be a price to pay should a woman choose to follow her heart.” said director Safyah Zafar Usmani while talking about the documentary.

    Qandeel’s belongings

    “Making biographical films is always tricky, but it’s harder when your subject is as complex and widely misunderstood as Qandeel Baloch. There’s so much more to her story than how it came to an end, but it’s really important for the world to remember the price Qandeel had to pay just because she chose to dream big and remain true to herself, and hopefully, this film will help do that,” said co-director Saad Zubairi.

    A Life Too Short was one of the 12 titles showcased this year at DOC NYC The Short List: Shorts. Last year the selection included seven of the ten films that went on to be named to the Oscars Shortlist for Documentary Shorts and three of DOC NYC’s picks went on to be Oscar nominees. This year’s DOC NYC’s winning short will qualify for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the Annual Academy Awards in 2021, without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

    Directed by Safyah, co-directed by Saad and produced by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the documentary also features executive producers Sheila Nevins and Guy Oseary, cinematographer Nadir Siddiqui and editor Mishaal Adhaami.

    Qandeel’s short but chaotic life has provided inspiration for several works including drama serial Baaghi starring Saba Qamar, Osman Khalid Butt and Ali Kazmi. Journalist Sanam Maher also wrote a book on the life of the late social media sensation titled The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch. The book also recently featured in the New York Times ‘Top 100 books of 2020’ list.

    Recently, Sharmeen’s set of short films HOME 1947 won the Best Film [Short Documentary] Award at the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal.