From 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm, T2F will be closed. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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We’ll kick off the evening with a screening of Ruhi Hamid’s critically acclaimed film, The Rockstar and the Mullahs, followed by a Q/A with the Director. After a break to clear the decks, we will move straight into an eclectic mix of funk, latin, jazz, drum’n'bass, techno, soul, and balkan, featuring London DJ, Misha Maltsev, aka DJ HERETIC.

The Rockstar and the Mullahs
Running Time: 55 minutes

The lead singer of Pakistan’s biggest rock group travels to Peshawar, where the local government has banned all music, and asks, “Why can’t spirituality be expressed through pop songs?”

Salman Ahmad is the charismatic lead guitarist for the popular Pakistani rock group, Junoon. Inspired by the ancient Sufi tradition, the band’s music and lyrics reflect the moderate, liberal side of Islam. But a coalition of fundamentalist Islamic parties has made recent gains in Pakistani elections, and Junoon’s high profile places them in conflict with the hardliners. Salman Ahmed journeys to the tolerant, ancient city of Lahore and the fundamentalist stronghold of Peshawar to reveal the internal religious and political conflicts of nuclear-armed Pakistan. The mullahs want to ban their music but Junoon’s fans, among them, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, have made Salman a rock idol. From this trip emerges a rich portrait of modern day Pakistan, a pivotal nation in the war against terror.

Ruhi Hamid
Ruhi Hamid has pushed boundaries for Muslim women and specialises as a solo director/camerawoman. After her award-winning series “Lahore Law”, Ruhi has made films for the BBC, Channel 4, Arte and Al Jazeera International including “Women and Islam” and “The Rockstar and the Mullahs”. After working as a graphic designer in Holland, Zimbabwe and in London at the BBC for many years, Ruhi turned her skills to programme making. She worked on the innovative strand of films Video Diaries/Video Nation, dedicated to working alone with DV cameras giving access to ordinary members of the public to have their voices and stories heard on mainstream television. By listening and allowing contributors to open up and trust her, Ruhi has gained access to peoples and cultures and has captured critical moments on camera. This has been the case whether Ruhi worked with a young autistic boy in England, the Kalapalo Indians in the Brazillian Amazon, the shamans in the Siberian forests or the criminal courts in Pakistan.

Ruhi’s film about the Hmong tribe (ex CIA veterans) in Laos was nominated for the Rory Peck Awards in 2004, and “At The Epicentre”, a documentary about the aftermath of the Asian tsunami in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, won her the same award in 2005. Her two recent high profile films are “Inside A Shariah Court” filmed in Nigeria and “The King’s New Laws” about law reform in Morocco. For her next project, Ruhi has gained unprecedented access to the British High Commission’s Forced Marriages Unit in Islamabad.

Misha Maltsev / DJ HERETIC
Misha Maltsev comes from Pokrovsk in the Republic of Sakha, Siberia. Before moving to London in 2000, he helped organize the Tabyk music festival, produced alternative and world music programmes for Sakha State Radio and independent media stations, published a music fanzine, and produced local artists such as Stepanida Borisova and Chyskyyrai. An alumni of SOAS, Misha works on radio and TV documentaries as a freelancer for the BBC; his film journeys have included an extreme Siberian winter expedition with a husky sled team and a trek in the jungles of Laos to film the Hmong rebels.

DJ HERETIC is one of London’s most eclectic DJs. He has performed with militant rapper Shamil from Fun-Da-Mental Soundsystem and has played DJ gigs ranging from festivals such as Glastonbury, Big Chill and the Isle of Wight Festival to small clubs like Radio Gagarin in Notting Hill Arts Club where he is a resident DJ. His adventurous and eccentric DJ sets include anything from minimal techno to field-recordings of the Balkan Gypsies, Afro-Beat, Latin or punk.

Misha combines DJ activities with his research fellowship in ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. His current research project is about the revival of shamanism in Siberian indigenous republics.

Date: Friday 18th July, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm
Minimum Donation: Rs. 250
Venue: The Second Floor (T2F)
Address | Map

Seats are limited and will be available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. No reservations.

A number of these events, ranging from Science Ka Adda sessions to poetry readings, have been recorded. Our summer interns have started digitizing the tapes and we shall soon start making our titles available for purchase.

“An Evening with Muneer A. Malik” and “Hum Keh Thahray Ajnabi - Readings and Recollections on 1971″ are currently available and prices will be announced shortly.

We’re looking for funding to set up a basic A/V studio and hire a couple of people who will professionally record, digitize, edit, and replicate our content. Please support our work and help us make our high-quality events available to those who can’t make it to T2F.

The screening will be followed by a discussion, focusing on the current state of Pakistani cinema, media education and upcoming films.

Bhuli Hui Hoon Daastan has been screened at The South Asian Film Festival - New York 2005, KARA Film Festival 2004, Bite the Mango Film Festival - Bradford 2005, The Delhi Digital Film Festival 2005, and ‘Pehli Dhahdkan’ Pakistani Film Festival - Glasgow 2005. The film has played at schools and universities across the country and internationally, and recently aired on both Geo and Geo News as part of the ‘Geomentary’ series.

About the Director

Adnan Malik is a Vassar College educated, Karachi based ’slashie’ - a filmmaker/ actor/model. The majority of his work uses pop culture and identity as a point of investigation. He has directed ‘Bijli’, a multi-award winning short film about a Muslim drag queen in New York, ‘The Forgotten Song’, Pakistan’s first feature length documentary on Lollywood, as well as having contributed to films such as the Sundance winning ‘Why We Fight’, and ‘A Jihad for Love’. Adnan has also contributed a film, ‘Telephone Pyaar’, to the 60×60 project organized by MotiRoti, has assisted on a number of music videos and has been on the directing team of ‘The Lux Style Awards’ for the last 4 years. He has also been a member of the organizing committee of ‘The KARA Film Festival’ since 2003.

Bhuli Hui Hoon Daastan (The Forgotten Song)
PAKISTAN / 95 MIN / URDU
CREDITS:
Camera: Najaf Bilgrami
Editing: Adnan Malik, Maheen Zia
Producer: Geo Television
Scripted, Researched and Directed by Adnan Malik

Date: Sunday 13th July, 2008

Time: 7:00 pm

Minimum Donation: Rs. 50

Venue: The Second Floor (T2F)
Address | Map

Seats are limited and will be available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. No reservations.

A T2F Gift Card takes the guesswork out of gift giving. Get one for a friend or family member today. Available now in denominations of 1000 and 500.

Writer and educationist, Dr. Aslam Farrukhi came to Karachi in September 1947. Since then, he has witnessed manifold changes in the city he made his home. Actively involved in the literary scene, he has vivid memories of the many writers and poets who lived here. One of the earliest students of Karachi University, Dr. Farrukhi went back to his alma mater and spent several decades teaching there.

The author of a number of books, Dr. Farrukhi will walk down memory lane this Sunday, recalling the changing face of the city of Karachi and its writers.

Date: Sunday 6th July, 2008

Time: 7:00 pm

Minimum Donation: Anything you like. Please support the PeaceNiche platform for open dialogue and creative expression generously.

Seats are limited and will be available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. No reservations.

Graphic design, amongst the most potent vehicles for social commentary, is used primarily to sell toothpaste and tobacco. Graphic designers spend much of their time manipulating mundane imagery and meaningless content - deft at copying and pasting but bereft of a conscience. The world is reeling from the horrors of terrorism, the corporatization of culture, the shockwaves of environmental damage, and the endless cycle of greed and consumption.

We’ve got to move our butts and do something, anything, however small.

This is a shout-out to graphic designers who have something to say and need a platform for expression. T2F features four walls and computers for graphic design, photography, and art exhibitions that are challenging, distinctive, subversive, and memorable.

If you are a designer, artist, or photographer and would like to exhibit your work at T2F, contact us at info@t2f.biz

Why do you close on Mondays?
We’re terribly inspired by barbers. Everyone needs a day off and we thought we’d all take a break on the same day. We are considering opening 7 days a week though. Stay tuned.

What’s with the Macs and iPods?
We’re Apple evangelists. We love Apple’s products and have rich experience in using and selling them. You should buy your next iPod or Mac from us because we’re trendy geeks and ask the right questions.

Why don’t you send out event invitations by post?
We’re tech-savvy tree huggers. E-mail and web-based announcements are cost-effective and no money is wasted on printing and postage. No trees are cut down either. Sign up today!

Do you have Wi-Fi?
Yes. And it’s free. (Thank you, Maxcom.)

Who owns T2F?
T2F is a project of PeaceNiche, an NGO set up in 2007. The Founder of PeaceNiche is Sabeen Mahmud, a social entrepreneur, activist, graphic designer, and technology consultant. PeaceNiche is governed by a Board of Founder Members and an Advisory Council. Seed funding for the organization was provided by Sabeen Mahmud and a few wonderful well-wishers. Donations are welcome!

Can I borrow a book from the browsing shelf? Just for one day?
No.

Can I donate books to T2F?
Yes. We’ll take pretty much anything but Time and Newsweek end up in the loo and we totally draw the line at Readers’ Digest.

Why don’t you advertise so more people find out about T2F?
We advertise through our opt-in mailing list, (WE DO NOT SPAM!), website, word-of-mouth, referrals, and UNSOLICITED media/blog coverage. Karachi is a large city and we can’t reach everyone, so please help us spread the word. Tell a friend about T2F.

I’m a graphic designer/artist/photographer/whatever. Can I exhibit at T2F?
If your work is compelling, yes. Printing and framing costs are yours and we charge a 20% commission on any work that gets sold. Social themes, political commentary, and thought-provoking content preferred.