THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS

Against the backdrop of a shared obsession with Bollywood fantasy, Mariam, a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter Azra come of age in two different eras.

Saturday 16 March Picture House Doors 7:45 PM | Session 8:15 PM | End 10:30 PM

Director: Fawzia Mirza | 2023 | Canada/Pakistan | 97 mins | 12 | Some Urdu with subtitles

Followed by Q&A with Fawzia Mirza (director) and Nimra Bucha (actress)

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                                                            Co-presented by:
                                                        Happy Valley Pride

Mariam emigrated to Canada from Pakistan as a wild 20-something in the 1960s. Her daughter Azra (lesbian, Canadian) sees her mother as embarrassingly traditional, conservative and always finding fault. When Azra’s father dies suddenly on a trip home to Pakistan, she finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined – from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming of age in rural Canada. Mirza's vibrant, energetic first feature explores family, love and obligation, and the chasm between individual desires and cultural expectations, all wrapped up in a love letter to Bollywood. Joyful.​

ABOUT FAWZIA MIRZA

​Fawzia Mirza is a White House Champion of Change, an alumna of the Tribeca Film Institute and an Islamic Scholarship Fund Winner.

She co-wrote and starred in the feature film Signature Move, which world premiered at SXSW, won 15 awards and starred Indian film legend Shabana Azmi as her mother.

​Her award-winning short films have screened all over the world. She directed the award-winning TikTok series Hidden Canyons and the rom-com The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night which premiered at TIFF.

Winner of a double honour at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
London Film Festival nominee
Best Actress, Iris Prize Festival