This Stained Dawn

Standing up for women's rights in Pakistan

This Stained Dawn Karachi’s feminists come together against all odds to organise a national woman's march. Coming up against Pakistan’s radical religious Right, and negotiating a surveillance-heavy, paranoia-inducing and often physically violent space in the hopes of a revolution, the protagonists struggle on. This Stained Dawn is not just about the march, but about the challenge of female activism in Islamic society.

Canadian Educational Licence Holder: https://www.cinemapolitica.org/


Festivals
LaurelSheffield International Documentary Film Festival | Official Selection
LaurelNew Asian Currents Competition | Official Selection
LaurelHuman Rights Watch | Official Selection

Reviews and More

"A deeply affecting and necessary viewing experience" - Awards Daily

"This vibrant and clamorous film shines its lens on contemporary Pakistan" - Reel Asian

Interview with director Anam Abbas - Business Doc Europe

" [This Stained Dawn] is well shot, easy to watch, while it communicates its main theme and many comments in the most eloquent way" - Asian Movie Pulse



 This Stained Dawn (Dagh Dagh Ujala)
(2021) on IMDb

The Producers


Anam Abbas is a Pakistan based Pakistani/Canadian filmmaker. As a producer and DOP her first feature "Showgirls of Pakistan", premiered in competition at IDFA 2020 and was released globally by VICE. “This Stained Dawn” is her debut feature as a Director. She is also one of the founders of the Documentary Association of Pakistan (DAP).

Making The Film




















Director's Statement

In 2018, I was able to participate in the organization of a historic, diverse and joyous Women's March in Karachi, which in 2019 and 2020 was replicated in 11 cities in Pakistan, resulting in heated, and much needed debates about the role of women in domestic and public spaces and a massive outcry from the religious right. As the state pushes a narrative that criminalizes feminists and accuses the movement for being anti-state and funded by anti-state actors, the film retorts by presenting a reality of grassroots work, political and ideological engagement and a multiplicity of voices that make the current moment.

-Anam Abbas, Director, This Stained Dawn

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