The WORLD channel documentary is streaming onPBSPassport and Amazon Prime and aired on PBS stations in May.
What changed your mind?
I said, no, its so dangerous.
Pakistani cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, champion of Pakistan’s blasphemy law.Photo by Muhammad Sohail Rana
Their main mandate is to safeguard the blasphemy law.
I wanted to expose him and thats why I decided to make the film.
Something just draws me to these projects.
Supporters of Pakistani cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi rally in Islamabad, Pakistan on November 27, 2017.AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images
And I think thats the activist part of me.
What was your thought behind including this footage in the film?
MN: I had to be careful editorially about what to show.
I maintain strict neutrality… you’re free to see the same film and be horrified.
Theyre fine with it because Im representing them as is.
I showed you that footage because its neutral.
What is the current situation in Pakistan now, as it relates to the severity of the blasphemy laws?
MN: There are a few different things.
I would say that the blasphemy law hasnt been relaxed at this point.
We finished production almost two and a half years ago.
So, I would say that its kind of getting a little bleaker.
Politically, Pakistan is in a really precarious situation.
So, lets see what happens.
But the blasphemy law right now is very much there.
And if you look at the blasphemy law itself, it was actually a post-colonial construct.
And thats something that weve had to contend with for the last few decades because of this.
DEADLINE:You were just appointed as the chairman of the Pakistan Academy Selection Committee (PASC).
What are your goals in this new role?
Our immediate goals are to make our official selection from Pakistan, for the foreign language/ Best International Film.
Films in all forms animation, documentaries, nonfiction, fiction features they all exist within Pakistan itself.
I think thats important because we really are unsung artists, even in our own country.
So thats the goal.
Has the Academy fairly evaluated Pakistani films?
MN: Its hard to say whether theyve been fairly evaluated or not.
Of course, theres also a huge volume of films, so to get through them takes a while.
We can just hope that everyone gets a chance to see all these films.
DEADLINE:What is the state of the Pakistani film industry?
Are blasphemy laws impeding artistic creativity for filmmakers?
MN: Of course.
Its Sarmad Khoosats film.
And the film got banned.
He wasnt ever able to release the film in Pakistan.
So that shows how active censorship is.
Its a really good film, I advised a lot of people to see it.
What does the nomination mean to you?
MN: Im just really blessed and pleased that Ive gotten this nomination.
So Im really honored that a jury of my peers chose my film.
And its in the running with other films that were actually also shortlisted for the Best Documentary Academy Award.
And Im in the same company as them.
This film [The Accused: Damned or Devoted?]
is being shown here on WORLD Channel, which is carried by PBS Passport and PBS stations.
Were up against the channels who always sweep the Emmys, like Netflix or HBO.
And in this case, we got a chance.
So, Im really honored about that.
We even had people from Punjab, which is where the story takes place.
I think that was really important.
We also had Christian minorities from Pakistan working on this film.
Representation, especially when it comes to these kinds of films, is integral.
Its also opening up pathways for younger filmmakers to come and participate and tell their own stories.
Thats one of the main things that I pushed about my film.
The other thing, which we already talked about, is why I made this film.
There barely are any blasphemy law films because it has been so dangerous to make.
