Pakistan’s green documentary wins
an eco-award from the floating city
Murder of Mystic a short environmental Pakistani documentary directed and produced by Khalid Hasan Khan wins an Eco-Selection Award from Soto Aqua Film Festival, 2021, Venice Italy. The environmental short docu narrates the struggles of fishermen from three fishing villages of Karachi, Sindh, namely Kaka Pir, Ibrahim Hyderi and Rehri Goth, in safeguarding the mangrove forests of the Indus delta, which are being callously chopped by the vested interests; timber mafia, land- grabbers and heartless urban corporations, by wreaking havoc on the centuries old settlements of the fisherfolk, with utter disregard for the environmental impact. Those indigenous people who tried to resist the devastation were also silenced brutally by the powerful elite. The docu features a mangrove song composed by Abu Wada, a fisherman from Rehri Goth. The documentary film depicts mangroves as spiritual trees, which are in service of mankind. They are a refuge to migratory birds, spawning ground for marine forms of life and a natural shield against cyclones. Fishermen call them their lifeline. Khan spelled out the reason for this documentary’s title in these words; “Mangrove is a plant that saves and serves the planet! It is a self-seeding vegetation that doesn’t need cultivation, its self sacrificing nature is for the benefit of mankind.” The documentary includes the standpoints of different stakeholders like Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Karachi Port Trust, Forest Department of Sindh, WWF and IUCN. Murder of Mystic has received appreciation from Alfredo Quarto, executive director of Mangrove Action Project, United States. The leading Canadian environmental broadcaster, Alex Smith has covered the story of this documentary for his influential Radio Ecoshock. Lately, Khalid Hasan Khan’s short film on vaccine hesitancy has won the Best Foreign Short Film Award from Istanbul Film Festival.
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