‘Wakhri’: Red Sea Film Inspired by Slain Pakistan Social Media Star Qandeel Baloch Unveils First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comNaman Ramachandran A first trailer has been unveiled for Pakistani-U.S. director Iram Parveen Bilal‘s Pakistan-set “Wakhri: One of a Kind,” which will have its world premiere at the upcoming Red Sea Film Festival.
Bilal was named one of the directors to watch by the Alliance of Women Directors in 2020. Her previous film, “I’ll Meet You There,” was in the Grand Jury competition at SXSW in 2020 and was banned on its release in Pakistan. “Wakhri” follows a widowed school teacher in Pakistan who becomes a viral sensation overnight when she accidentally unleashes her unabashed opinions on social media.
This newfound fame as an unlikely influencer comes with its own challenges as she has to navigate archaic mindsets and secret identities while raising her 10-year-old son in a world where women’s rights to having a voice and owning space, physical or online, are a constant challenge.
The film is inspired by Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch who was murdered in 2016. “Qandeel Baloch was a raunchy social media star from the poorer masses of Pakistan.
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