Indian and Pakistani co-directors Miriam Menacherry and Maheen Zia received a 5,000$ award for their project Lyari Notes

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In Pakistan a rock star, Hamza Jafri, teaches a group of girls to express themselves through music in Karachi’s most volatile district. He travels in an armed vehicle. He is a musician famous for his hard hitting political lyrics since the 1990s. Since then religious fundamentalism has been on the rise with shops selling music torched, concerts bombed and musicians threatened with death. Seeing the shrinking space for music and artists Hamza decides to fight back by opening a music school. Captured over 3 years Lyari Notes is the narrative of four young girls who attend Hamza’s music school and learn what it takes to express oneself despite the cycles of violence.