Created  ······· Halar Soomro
Medium ········· Film
Published ······ June 2024
Exhibited   ······ Maastricht Institute of Arts Exhibt

Nani, Karachi and I

Exhibited in The Begining at Maastricht Institue of Arts,"Nani, Karachi and I" is a deeply personal and unscripted film that captures my journey with my Nani as we revisit the landscapes of her memories—Karachi, post-Partition Pakistan. The film moves through her recollections of leaving behind her childhood home in Mumbai after 1947 and beginning life anew as a refugee in the port city of Karachi. The conversations we share—some lighthearted, others profoundly emotional—form the core of this work, blending together personal testimony, archival footage, and the tactile remnants of her life.

At its heart, this project is an exploration of how displacement lingers in the body, and how memories can serve as both a home and a reminder of what was lost. It’s a collaboration between past and present—between me and my Nani—creating a space for collective healing, while interrogating the role that oral history and remembrance play in reconstructing the unspoken narratives of colonial violence.