Canada202397 minUrdu, English with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Directed By Women

When Azra, a queer Muslim grad student, hears of her father’s sudden death, she flies back to her ancestral home in Karachi, Pakistan for the funeral, where she is received by her conservative mother, Mariam, perpetually disappointed by Azra’s choices. As a self-assured Azra wrestles with Karachi’s customs and norms, we time travel back to Mariam’s own life in the city 30 years ago, a remarkably different era in Pakistan’s political and cultural history.

Through Azra and Mariam’s shared love for the inimitable Bollywood star, Sharmila Tagore, director Fawzia Mirza tells a story that illuminates layers of a deep and complex bond between generations of women who live in starkly different times yet negotiate their freedoms and desires in strikingly similar ways. With outstanding performances by an all-star cast spanning continents, Mirza invites us all to celebrate unlikely bonds and the unifying power of cinema in this energetic, polychromatic, and unforgettable feature debut.

– Mariam Zaidi

2h30

Discover the comedically honest and heartwarming story of the CBC Gem original short-form series How to Fail as a Popstar in our panel discussion, "The Clumsy Art of Finding Yourself." Join us as we unravel the creative evolution of the series after the screening, which was adapted from Vivek Shraya's hit play and subsequent book, tracing its journey from page to stage to screen. Immerse yourself in Shraya’s story: a young queer brown boy from Edmonton trying (and failing) to achieve pop stardom, a protagonist that is so sincere and overly optimistic, you can’t help but laugh as Vivek stumbles. At the same time, you’re also rooting for them to win.

As we watch Vivek age and come into her own as a now-40-something trans feminine multidisciplinary artist, her childlike wonder and gumption never dwindles. Vivek’s will to get back up and try again is not only hilarious and honest, but hopeful. It’s hard not to feel inspired as an audience to reflect on our own childhood dreams we once cast aside. Don't miss this insightful conversation about adapting for film, the realities of the music industry, and the power of one’s intersecting identities.

How to Fail as a Popstar stars Shraya, Adrian Pavone (Star Trek: Discovery, 2017), and Chris D’Silva (The Handmaid’s Tale, 2017). It was written by Shraya and directed by Vanessa Matsui (Son of a Critch, 2022), with Shraya co-directing one episode. The series was produced by Sphere Media with the financial participation of the TELUS Fund, the Bell Fund, and the Shaw Rocket Fund.

This event will include a screening of the series' first three episodes, followed by a panel discussion moderated by JP Larocque, with panelists Vivek Shraya, Vanessa Matsui, and Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves.

All episodes of How to Fail as a Popstar are available to stream for free in Canada exclusively on CBC Gem.