Zarrar Kahn‘s acclaimed psychological thriller film “In Flames” has unveiled a trailer ahead of its North American theatrical release.
The film bowed at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2023 and played at several global festivals including Toronto, Pingyao and Red Sea, where it won the top prize. It was Pakistan‘s entry to the Oscars’ international category.
“In Flames” follows Mariam lives with her younger brother and their mother, Fariha, in a tiny apartment in Karachi. When Mariam’s maternal grandfather passes, his brother tries to manipulate them into signing over their apartment to him, a common occurrence in Pakistan, where women’s property rights are fragile. Mariam’s mother, grieving and isolated, is easy to influence. Mariam, distraught by her mother’s foolishness, finds solace in a secret romance with a fellow student, Asad. When their relationship takes an unexpected turn, Mariam becomes consumed by nightmares. Meanwhile, her mother, caught between her coercive uncle and a murky legal system, is oblivious to her daughter’s deteriorating mental state. Mariam’s nightmares begin to bleed into reality.
The film stars Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohammad Ali Hashmi and Jibran Khan. It is produced by Anam Abbas and Hamza bangash and executive produced by Shant Joshi, Todd Brown and Maxime Cottray. It is part of XYZ’s New Visions slate.
The Variety review of the film described it as “a ghostly parable about Pakistan’s insidious patriarchal order” and added that “it finely straddles the line between a bold genre exercise and a bruising portrait of contemporary Pakistan to deliver a welcome story about resistance and resilience.”
Kahn told Variety: “It’s been an incredible journey sharing ‘In Flames’ with festival audiences across the world, and I’m so excited for the film to finally be starting its theatrical run in North America. ‘In Flames’ is an experience that was meant to be witnessed in a cinema, and I’m grateful to our partners Game Theory and XYZ for championing the film. The cinema I admire speaks frankly to systems of oppression, to resilience and the hard choices that must be made in hard times – and I strongly believe ‘In Flames’ continues in that long tradition.”
Game Theory Films will release the film across North American theaters beginning April 12.
Watch the trailer here: