Madiha Aijaz
Directing
Biography
In her films, photography and writing, Madiha AIJAZ (1981-2019, Pakistan) explored the experience of pleasure and privacy in urban spaces. She graduated from the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture – where she later worked as an assistant professor – with a bachelor's degree in Design and held an MFA in Photography and Related Media from Parsons. In 2014, Aijaz published a book on Hindu temples in Pakistan and her art was exhibited internationally, including at Urban Flux Film Festival in Johannesburg and IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival in New Delhi. At IFFR 2019, her most recent work These Silences Are All the Words (2018) was screened in the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition. Shortly after her visit to Rotterdam, she passed away in her hometown Karachi.
Known For
Brief, acute observation on changing times in Pakistani society by photographer and filmmaker Madiha Aijaz using the former Theosophical Society Library in Karachi.
Memorial for the Lost Pages
Veer Ras is a tradition of singing for centuries, which has almost disappeared from the public sphere. No one completely understands Veer Ras in Partapur and barely anyone knows how to sing it, except Hengji Patidar and Velji Mali. My interest is in remembering the orality of songs and when they become obsolete. This piece was made during the Sandarbh International Artist Residency in Partapur, Rajasthan in the winters of 2015.