Ready to Take a Big Leap?
This week I sat down with Physics Olympian turned Filmmaker, Iram Parveen Bilal, to talk travel, film, and change.
When I travel, I see a completely different story than the news portrays in the United States. So, I was fascinated to hear Iram’s perspective growing up in Nigeria and Pakistan. There are some positive changes taking place. It’s all about perspective. But, there are some bad things still happening too. Iram, even gets nervous about visiting after listening to the news…
“Things are hitting closer to home now for me. My friends, who are journalists, are leaving the country… I feel that, but when I’m on the ground, all I can think about is connecting, and giving, and sharing, and receiving, and there is so much optimism. There is frustration, as well, because of the instability and politics are trickling down to the basic survival of people now.
”Once you become a “global citizen,” you get a different perspective on the world, what is being shared, and what is being left out. In her film JOSh, Iram used the art of media to showcase a new perspective of life in Pakistan.
Working with Media Students on The Film “JOSH” (Against the Grain)
Iram found JOSH to be a platform, not only to share a message, but also to help instigate change in the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. With little infrastructure and a crew with little experience, creating the film was a challenge, but the result? Beautiful. Inspired by a true story, Josh draws viewers into a captivating experience of the struggle between classes in Pakistan and the hope for independence.
“As hard as it was, as a new industry, it was amazing because people were so excited, you know to be on the film. And, now that I look back it, having directed my second feature just recently, also small budget, but here in the US, they did really well for not having any film knowledge, frankly.”
The Inspiration Behind JOSH: The Miracle of the Food Kitchen
A subsidized pantry allows citizens to buy a meal for around 3 cents with reasonable nutrition. Three to four brick and mortar locations, along with distribution areas around Karachi, are feeding many. After being so moved by the film, a gentleman in Melbourne held a fundraiser for the food kitchen. They raised enough money to feed one hundred and forty families for a whole month. The food was purchased, and Iram had a moving experience helping hand out the bags. These precious moments of impact are great, but I asked Iram what she thinks the answer is on a long-term, global scale. I am passionate about being an advocate for women. So, I was curious to hear her thoughts on the potential of media to impact these issues, such as poverty, education, and girl’s rights, on a larger scale. “On one level, it’s content creation, on another level it’s active engagement and time, social interaction, with your projects and with your films, then you try and do your part. One alone cannot change the world, but one alone can inspire others…To answer your question, I think we just, every day of our lives, make a positive, proactive effort to change, to speak out. ”
You do not want to miss this week’s Change Maker, listen here: http://www1.play.it/audio/change-maker-with-zhena-muzyka/
