This Stained Dawn

Story

On the streets of Pakistan, from Karachi to Islamabad, the Aurat March (Women’s March), was held despite counter-demonstrators and the bombardment of hate speech against the participants. A few months prior, a women’s group was formed in Karachi to organize a public event and protest on International Women’s Day. We discover a profound sense of supple solidarity, wisdom and hard work in these women from all walks of life vividly depicting their passion even as they overcome lawsuits to stop the protests, and battle against the headwinds. Combining archival footage with animation, the film gives historical context to and breathes life into feminism in Pakistan, bridging time and forging connections between the reality the women face every day and the larger struggles of feminism. (From official catalog of Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2021).