The creators of a documentary called Zunn: Showgirls of Pakistan are looking to crowdfund their post-production efforts.
Showgirls of Pakistan is a documentary feature on the lives of dancing girls in Punjab, Pakistan. It unveils a world of smut theater and strip-shows in small towns and villages through the eyes of the women that are profited from but are never heard. These showgirls are managed by a violent mafia, pimps, boyfriends and promoters who regularly export them to the UAE club scene.
As a society, we Pakistanis have a strange obsession with damning entire swaths of people under the guise of “morality.” This documentary is one of the gradually increasing number of projects trying to bring attention to Pakistan’s seedy underbelly. In doing so they’re doing the incredibly important job of re-humanizing the disenfranchised and the outcast. Unfortunately, the morality policy has in fact struck this project; the producers of Showgirls of Pakistan have had to take their trailer offline in response to threats from certain parties who disapprove the message this documentary is trying to convey. And yet, the filming is complete; all that’s left now is the post-production.
The endeavor is an expensive one, but it isn’t unattainable. The producers of Showgirls only have a few more weeks to accomplish their goal of $15000, and right now they only have a little more than $2500.
This project has the potential to go a long way in addressing many dangerously – intentionally – ignored issues in Pakistan and so many other countries around the world – mental illness, sexuality, gender identity, abuse. If you are able, I beseech you to go support it. A dollar can go such a long way in making sure the voices of Nadia, Afreen and Reema Jan and so, so many others are heard.
image taken from Showgirls of Pakistan’s Facebook page
Neiha Lasharie 