SOC Films just launched a short film series titled Home 1947 with its first short Beila, directed by Laal Kabootar famed director Kamal Khan. The series is a deeply personal exploration of the lives and stories of the millions that were displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent states, India and Pakistan.
Produced by Gali Films, Beila chronicles the journey of a mother singing her baby to sleep on a crowded train in the chaos of 1947. As she makes her way to an unfamiliar destination, the feeling of loss and an uncertain future overwhelm her. It is shot by Kamal Khan and Mo Azmi and stars film and TV actress Faiza Gillani in an emotional performance, who sang the song live on set in one-take.
According to the official press statement, “Home 1947 is a 7-part short film series conceptualized and produced by SOC Films, which recreate the long-lost sights and sounds of what millions once called home and explores this world not through the words of historians and politicians, but through the eyes of those who lived through it.”
The series premiered as part of the Home 1947 Exhibition at the Manchester International Festival in the UK followed by exhibitions in Mumbai, Lahore and Karachi. Home 1947 has been co-commissioned by the British Council in Pakistan in collaboration with the Manchester International Festival and Super Slow Way.
