Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2008

Adapted from her novel of the same name, writer-director Shamim Sarif’s debut film follows two Indian women in 1950s South Africa as they navigate a constricting environment of apartheid and rural isolation where there is little room for individual choice. The sensual Amina has never fit into this world. She scandalizes her traditional Indian family by wearing a man’s shirt and trousers. She even owns and runs her own café, where, despite police harassment, Amina allows (and even encourages) the races to mingle freely. Conversely, the life of Miriam has been one of duty to her children and husband Omar. However, when Omar moves the family out of town to open a grocery (curiously remote from any customers), Miriam is drawn into a dangerous and infectiously freethinking relationship with Amina.

Comparable to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN in its poetic use of color and sweeping landscapes, THE WORLD UNSEEN establishes Sarif as not only as an engaging storyteller but as an innovative filmmaker who is redefining the genre.

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