[Reader-list] "Salaat" - (prayer) a film by Kaz Rahman

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

THEATTIC 36 REGAL BUILDINGS, NEW DELHI TEL: 23746050
 
friday14th january
6.00pm "Salaat" – (prayer) (74 mins, 2010) a film by Kaz Rahman
 
Cast: Hedi Hurban, Sara Rahman, Nasreen, Umran Yazici and 
ZainulvaraZaheer.
Premier: Pittsburgh September 17th, 2010.
 
The filmdepicts salaat - Islamic prayer – both literally and more 
abstractly.Shot in Hyderabad, India, and Ontario, Canada, the largely 
dialogueless filmcaptures five Muslim women as they recite their daily 
prayers. In mostinstances, these women step away from their otherwise 
engaged days as each pauses for prescribed prayer.From one who ritually 
washes in a paradisiacal garden pool, to one shopping ina crowded city 
to another bundled against ice and snow, each takes time forGod.
The film is contemplative but abstract,minimalist and meditative.
The work of Kaz Rahman explores and coalesces theintersection between
Islamic artistic expression, the natural elements and contemporary
culture.

Rahman grew up in Ontario, Canada and studied Visual Arts at York
University in Toronto (BFA), painting/photography at the University of
Northumbria in Newcastle, England and later Media Arts at City College
(CUNY) in New York City where he earned his MFA.  He has lived in
Moscow, Russia (1998), Budapest, Hungary (1999) and Hyderabad, India
(2004-08) and currently lives and works in Pittsburgh where he is
faculty in Film/ Video at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

His 16mm film Dead Body won the ‘Special Jury Award’ at the 2002
Cityvisions festival in NYC and Rahman has received artist grants in
both Visual Arts and Film and Video from the Ontario Arts Council and
the Canada Council for the arts. His Recent solo exhibitions in
photography and painting include 'Flood in the Sky' in Hyderabad,
India (2005), ‘Deccani Ark’ in Bombay, India (2007) and ‘Salaat’in
Hyderabad, India (2008).