Land Gold Women
Encyclopedia
Land Gold Women is a 2011 English-language film written and directed by Avantika Hari
, a graduate of the London Film School. The film is produced by Mumbai based Vivek Agrawal. It is the first film in English that deals with the issue of honor killing
s. The film won India’s National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English for Director Avantika Hari and Producer Vivek Agrawal. The award was presented by the President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Patil.
Land Gold Women was shot entirely in the UK and is an Indo -UK production made under the production banner Avantika Hari and Vivek Agrawal now run A Richer Lens together.
.
, “Land Gold Women” revolves around a small British Asian
family caught between their traditional past and the tumultuous, faction-driven present. Nazir Ali Khan, a soft-spoken, 45-year-old professor of History at a University in Birmingham, emigrated from India in the 1980’s. He made Birmingham his home with his conservative wife Rizwana and their two children, Saira, 17 and Asif, 14. He indulges their interests in all things English and Western but now finds himself increasingly nostalgic about his roots.
Saira, with a year to complete her graduation, is excited at the prospect of going to university to pursue her interest in Literature. She also hopes that this will give her more time to spend with David, her aspiring writer boyfriend. At this critical juncture in her life, Nazir finds himself feeling increasingly conflicted at the thought of his daughter going out into the big bad world. His fears are further strengthened by the arrival of his older brother Riyaaz from India. A staunch traditional man, Riyaaz arrives with a proposal of marriage for Saira. A man of his word, who takes great pride in his roots, Riyaaz doesn’t intend on taking a ‘no’ for an answer.
With the threat of an illicit relationship looming over his head and the prospect of getting cut off from the rest of his family, Nazir finds himself at the brink of a terrible decision to make: Should he save face? Or save his daughter?
IFFI held in Goa. At IFFI, the film was part of the Indian Panorama section which selects 26 of the Best feature films from the country.It also screened at the European Film Market ,the Berlin Film Festival.
Land Gold Women won the Foreign Correspondence Association 'Purple Orchid' Award for Best Feature Film at the Asian Festival of First Films
in Singapore. The Award was won by the film for " An Engaging Story line which reaches out to an International Audience. The film benefited from a strong performance by the cast, a compelling story line and a well crafted production. It also won the award for Best Script/Screenplay for Avantika Hari. The film was further nominated in the Best Producer and Jury Best Film Awards. In the North American circuit, it got the Royal Reel Award for Excellence in Film making at the 2010 Canada International Film Festival. , the Best of Show Award at Indie Fest and won 3 awards at the Reel Heart International Film Festival held in Toronto
. The awards were, Best Film (Runner up) , Best Actor for Narendra Samra and Best Cinematography for David Rom.
The film has received numerous nominations in various categories at International Film Festivals. The Soundtrack of the film was nominated for an Award at the East End Film Festival held every year in London
. The film also received a nomination for Best UK first Feature for Avantika Hari.
Avantika Hari
Avantika Hari was born in India, brought up in the Middle East and educated in the US and UK. She graduated with a double major in Digital Arts and Economics from Stetson University Florida in 2002 and then managed her own multimedia consulting firm while studying Creative Writing and Filmmaking...
, a graduate of the London Film School. The film is produced by Mumbai based Vivek Agrawal. It is the first film in English that deals with the issue of honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
s. The film won India’s National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English for Director Avantika Hari and Producer Vivek Agrawal. The award was presented by the President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Patil.
Land Gold Women was shot entirely in the UK and is an Indo -UK production made under the production banner Avantika Hari and Vivek Agrawal now run A Richer Lens together.
.
Plot
Set in modern BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, “Land Gold Women” revolves around a small British Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
family caught between their traditional past and the tumultuous, faction-driven present. Nazir Ali Khan, a soft-spoken, 45-year-old professor of History at a University in Birmingham, emigrated from India in the 1980’s. He made Birmingham his home with his conservative wife Rizwana and their two children, Saira, 17 and Asif, 14. He indulges their interests in all things English and Western but now finds himself increasingly nostalgic about his roots.
Saira, with a year to complete her graduation, is excited at the prospect of going to university to pursue her interest in Literature. She also hopes that this will give her more time to spend with David, her aspiring writer boyfriend. At this critical juncture in her life, Nazir finds himself feeling increasingly conflicted at the thought of his daughter going out into the big bad world. His fears are further strengthened by the arrival of his older brother Riyaaz from India. A staunch traditional man, Riyaaz arrives with a proposal of marriage for Saira. A man of his word, who takes great pride in his roots, Riyaaz doesn’t intend on taking a ‘no’ for an answer.
With the threat of an illicit relationship looming over his head and the prospect of getting cut off from the rest of his family, Nazir finds himself at the brink of a terrible decision to make: Should he save face? Or save his daughter?
Cast
- Narinder Samra - Nazir Ali Khan
- Neelam Parmar - Saira Nazir
- Chris Villiers - Timothy James
- Hassani Shapi - Riyaaz Ali Khan
- Aaron Virdee - Izzy's Friend
- Laurence Saunders - Police Officer
- Terry Pearson - Professor George
- Laila Vakil - Farha Siddiqui
- Ali Zahoor - Asif Nazir Khan
- Renu Brindle - Rizwana Nazir
- Caroline Frewin - Solicitor
- Richard Kelly - David Reid
Festival showings and awards
The film has been screened at the International Film Festival of IndiaInternational Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India , founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually in the beach town of Goa, in the Western Coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of...
IFFI held in Goa. At IFFI, the film was part of the Indian Panorama section which selects 26 of the Best feature films from the country.It also screened at the European Film Market ,the Berlin Film Festival.
Land Gold Women won the Foreign Correspondence Association 'Purple Orchid' Award for Best Feature Film at the Asian Festival of First Films
Asian Festival of First Films
The Asian Festival of First Films is an annual festival that celebrates first-time film- and documentary-makers and provides a platform for budding film talent....
in Singapore. The Award was won by the film for " An Engaging Story line which reaches out to an International Audience. The film benefited from a strong performance by the cast, a compelling story line and a well crafted production. It also won the award for Best Script/Screenplay for Avantika Hari. The film was further nominated in the Best Producer and Jury Best Film Awards. In the North American circuit, it got the Royal Reel Award for Excellence in Film making at the 2010 Canada International Film Festival. , the Best of Show Award at Indie Fest and won 3 awards at the Reel Heart International Film Festival held in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. The awards were, Best Film (Runner up) , Best Actor for Narendra Samra and Best Cinematography for David Rom.
The film has received numerous nominations in various categories at International Film Festivals. The Soundtrack of the film was nominated for an Award at the East End Film Festival held every year in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The film also received a nomination for Best UK first Feature for Avantika Hari.