Zarar Khan’s popular psychological thriller In Flames has unveiled a trailer ahead of its theatrical release in North America.
The film was screened at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2023, and has screened at several international festivals including Toronto, Pingyao and Red Sea, where it won first prize. This was Pakistan’s entry into the International Academy Awards category.
In Flames revolves around Maryam’s life with her younger brother and their mother Fariha in a small apartment in Karachi. When Maryam’s maternal grandfather dies, his brother tries to manipulate them into signing over their apartment to him, a common practice in Pakistan, where women’s property rights are fragile. Maryam’s mother, sad and isolated, is easily influenced. Maryam, distraught by her mother’s foolishness, finds solace in a secret love story with fellow student Asad. When their relationship takes an unexpected turn, Maryam becomes consumed by nightmares. Meanwhile, her mother, caught between her coercive uncle and an arcane legal system, is oblivious to her daughter’s deteriorating mental state. Maryam’s nightmares begin to become reality.
The film stars Ramisha Nawal, Omar Javed, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohammad Ali Hashmi and Gibran Khan. It is produced by Anam Abbas and Hamza Bangash, and produced by Shant Joshi, Todd Brown and Maxime Cutray. It’s part of XYZ’s list of new insights.
the diverse The film review called it “a ghostly parable about Pakistan’s pernicious patriarchy” and added that it “delicately straddles the line between gritty genre practice and a haunting portrait of contemporary Pakistan to deliver a welcome story of resistance and resilience.”
Khan said diverse: “It’s been an incredible journey sharing In Flames with festival audiences around the world, and I’m so excited for the film to finally make its theatrical run in North America. ‘In Flames’ is an experience we were meant to have at the cinema, and I’m grateful to our partners Game Theory And XYZ for their support of the film. “The cinema I love speaks frankly about systems of oppression, resilience, and the hard choices that must be made in difficult times – and I strongly believe that In Flames continues in that long tradition.”
Game Theory Films will release the film in North American theaters starting April 12.
Watch the trailer here: