This film is available online only in Ontario.
Pakistan202467 minUrdu, Pashto, Hazaragi with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereAvailable Online
Situated in a modest retail complex in Quetta, Pakistan, is a small photo studio plastered with framed images of clients posing with women they don't know, guns they don’t own, and motorcycles they’ve never ridden. “Make it look real” is the instruction given to the photo studio owner, Muhammad Sakhi, who earnestly captures his clients’ desires and ambitions through staged, saturated, and heavily doctored photographs. Conversations between customers and Sakhi reveal that, although the photos may be fake, the desire and delight behind them are very real.
Serving as a portal to imagined realities, each photograph emerges as a reflection on ideas of gender expression, power, and success, revealing the delicate interplay between identity and longing. As documentary director Danial Shah builds an effortless bond with Sakhi, we’re invited into a welcoming space that offers a compelling observation of the empowerment and sense of freedom possible when identities are allowed to be constructed and reworked.
- Mariam Zaidi
OFFICIAL SELECTION
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, 2024
True/False Film Fest, 2024
Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, 2025
AWARDS
Jury Prize – Belgian Film, Festival En Ville, 2025
Danial Shah
Born in Quetta, Pakistan, Danial Shah works with the medium of photography and film and is currently pursuing an artistic PhD at Sint Lucas Antwerp and University of Antwerp. His debut feature film, Make it Look Real (2024), premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in 2024.
8 Nov, 2025 12:30 pm
TIFF Lightbox C3PG
This film is available online only in Ontario.
CONTENT ADVISORY
discussions of political violence
IN PERSON & ONLINE ACCESSIBILITY
IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film is being presented with English subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated).
Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
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