Film Screening of 'Saffron Kingdom' and Q&A with film director Arfat Sheikh

On 6 August, we invite friends, colleagues and students to a screening of Saffron Kingdom, a film by a Kashmiri director, Arfat Sheikh. The blurb of the film is below, and a trailer is available at this link.

Given the recent conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025, and the lack of perspectives from Kashmir, this film offers a unique and largely untold story of the history of the people of Kashmir and their contemporary struggles. The event is hosted by the ANU South Asian Research Institute.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with Arfat Sheikh (joining via Zoom), facilitated by Associate Professor Lia Kent from the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance.

Film blurb:

Saffron Kingdom (2025, 84mn) has garnered multiple accolades on the film festival circuit, including the Best Feature Film award at the LA Film and Documentary Awards, the Melbourne Independent Film Festival and the Chicago Filmmakers' Awards. The film was also officially selected for the Rome International Film Festival 2024, ARRF Berlin International Film Festival, and the Florida South Asia Film Festival.

Saffron Kingdom tells the story of a Kashmiri family navigating decades of trauma, displacement, and resilience – from 1990s Srinagar to 2019 Atlanta – highlighting identity, justice, and survival. The movie traces the story of Masrat, who witnesses the violence of insurgency during her childhood, and then later, experiences the abduction of her husband in 2014, forcing her to flee to the United States of America with her son, Rizwan. In America, Masrat juggles her roles as a protective mother and a university researcher documenting their past.

The movie explores the political upheaval and the revocation of Kashmir's semi-autonomous status on 5 August 2019. It highlights the enduring struggle for identity and justice amidst personal and political turmoil.

Click here to join our mailing list.