Film
Film is an art form that can be used to tell stories and explore ideas in an expressive and creative way. Zahra has studied cinematography and its role within art history during her years at Plymouth university studying as a fine art undergraduate.
Zahra's work often blurs the lines between art, performance and film. The purpose of Zahra's films is to narrate themes of dislocation, nostalgia, identity and belonging through landscapes and female subjects; often placing herself within the frame to understand her place amongst her practice.
Zahra loves working with the moving image, often in film noir and is inspired by the cinema and musical direction of Satyajit Ray.
ANEMOIA: Ma is calling home.
[trailer]
Ma is Calling Home is a short film that visually narrates Khanum's lived experiences on dual identity and her mother's childhood. Her subjects seek connection and familiarity through music, performance and traditional practices. Khanum reflects on the parallels of women in rural landscapes in Devon and Bengal, depicting women with agency to interrogate matters of belonging, displacement and Anemoia — the nostalgia, for a time, place, or person one has never known.
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to watch the full film click below:
Haze [2022]
Film and art often intersect to create powerful cinematic experiences. Khanum experiments with her short film, Haze, which follows the journey of a young girl who reads people too much and loses herself in the process. The film references the musical works of Satyajit Ray's classic movie, Charulata, and expresses the duality of the artist's e British-Bangladeshi culture through dress, narration and performance.
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