On disappearing parrots & more

This rooftop scene from Tann Mann Neel O Neel in androon Pindi with dance and music and the mandir spire in the background has all of my heart. It’s not that it’s extraordinarily creative or visually stunning, it’s that scenes like these are such a rarity that you’ve got to appreciate them when you see one. This show is getting a lot of things right - you should start it if you haven't.

Families Like Ours // This Danish show set in the very near future takes a less apocalyptic and more social and migratory look at what happens when the climate crisis forces entire countries to shut down.

One Hundred Years of Solitude // I won't compare the book to the show. But all the magical realism is done quite well in this screen adaptation. Also, the way Macondo is set up and depicted is so beautiful to look at.

Pakistan’s disappearing parrots // Pakistan is in danger of losing the Alexandrine parrot, the Mian Mitthu, which is already on a global list of near-endangered species due to mostly man-made factors. In Karachi alone, the parrots’ numbers have plummeted by 60% over the past 5-8 years.

Demolition of a Sikh heritage site // A historical Sikh heritage site already in a state of disrepair in Waghrian village near Jallo is at the risk of demolition.

Closure of Israel’s embassy in Ireland // Israel has decided to shut its embassy in Dublin after Ireland’s decision to back South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ last week. I guess that’s one down, onwards to all the rest.

Kitabghar Festival // Kitabghar’s annual festival is starting on the 18th of December, running till the 30th. It will host a series of curated films, zines, and literary discussions for experiences centered around education and community building.

Mehfilm @ PNCA // More film screenings, panel discussions, and jam sessions. This time at PNCA on the 28th of December.

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The Grief Directory // After losing her husband and 11-year-old son to Shia genocide and navigating uncharted grief with limited support, Fatima Ali Haider co-founded the Grief Directory. It’s a platform to provide essential guidance, support, and a safe space for healing to those mourning loved ones, especially women isolated from practical information and assistance.

Wilting by Lotus Flower // The music and the video are both so pretty. It features a creature made of flowers trying to outrun its fate in an urban landscape. It’s shot in Ahmedabad, and you can read up on the concept and process by going through the captions of posts on it by people tagged here.

Dark Patterns in AI // A study conducted by researchers from Germany and the U.K. found that by default, AI-generated web pages are resorting to using dark patterns in their designs. These web pages contained an average of five deceptive elements per page that exploit psychological strategies to manipulate user behavior.

I want to take this opportunity to ask a very important question: whatever happened to brownies?! We've got experimental cookies, and donuts, and cookie donuts(???), but what happened to being fun and fancy with BROWNIES?

This thought was brought to you by an ad by O’Brownies that showed up on my IG. And I felt so ashamed that I had completely forgotten about the brownies they make - the best I’ve ever had. Anyway, as a species I think we need to pause and reassess and go back to being utterly in love with brownies.

Until the next one, shab bakhair 🌅🤍

If you want to talk about my work, bounce some ideas, or just have a casual chat fangirling over a film, feel free to schedule a jam session with me here.