Event Details:
Showgirls of Pakistan follows mujra dancers Afreen Khan, Uzma Khan, and Reema Jaan as they defy censorship, predatory managers, and social stigma in pursuit of stardom. The documentary recasts the centuries-old mujra tradition, originally performed by appointed dancers in the courts of the Mughal Empire, as a stage for moral contest. Using the dancers’ own social-media videos and intimate vérité alongside archival footage from decades of Pakistani film and television, Showgirls weaves together their personal journeys with the larger story of the country’s performing arts and screen culture. Showgirls of Pakistan unfolds as an arresting and singular portrait of women who perform, endure, and dream in the spotlight.
Saad Khan is a New York–based filmmaker and archivist, and the founder of Khajistan, an archive dedicated to rescuing and digitizing neglected histories from the Greater Middle East. He is also the director of Showgirls of Pakistan (2020).
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Saad Khan, moderated by Professor Usha Iyer.
Co-sponsored by Film & Media Studies, Center for South Asia, Asian American Studies, The Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford Arts Institute, Performance Studies, Stanford Cinematheque, the Berkeley-Stanford Transpacific/Asian American Art History Working Group, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the Asian American Activities Center.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Oshman Hall is located within the McMurtry Building on Stanford campus at 355 Roth Way. Visitor parking is available in designated areas and is free after 4pm on weekdays. Alternatively, take the Caltrain to Palo Alto Transit Center and hop on the free Stanford Marguerite Shuttle. If you need a disability-related accommodation or wheelchair access information, please contact Julianne White at jgwhite@stanford.edu. This event is open to Stanford affiliates and the general public. Admission is free with RSVP.