Across the Waters
Sana Bilgrami
Screenings
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'Across the Waters' was commissioned as part of Scottish Screen's Bridging the Gap scheme for creative documentary. The scheme bridges the gap between training/graduation and a first broadcast.
| 'Across the Waters' is a poetic, reflective journey between two cultures. Fifty years ago, a young girl arrived on the island of Lewis from a village in Pakistan. Now, the woman is preparing for her granddaughter to leave the island. |
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Three generations of Pakistani women join with a veteran Gaelic islander to give a personal perspective on that half-century in the island’s history, the changes they have witnessed and the mixture of belonging and exile that has defined their existence. |
Sana Bilgrami was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1974 and studied Film and Communications, and Philosophy, at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Sana made the award-winning short film 'Under my Skin' in 2001 for her Masters degree at Edinburgh College of Art. 'Under my Skin' explores the lives of two immigrants - a dancer and a poet. Shot entirely on Super-8, this hauntingly beautiful and powerful film draws you into a world where art and identity collide against the stark landscape of Scotland. The film won Best Short Documentary Award at Chichester Film Festival 2002 and was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Grierson Award at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2002.
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Sana won the Award for Special Achievement at Scottish Students on Screen 2002, where 'Under My Skin' also won Best Factual Film. | All images courtesy of Sana Bilgrami.
In 2004, Sana's film 'Tree Fellers' was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland award for Best Television Documentary. The documentary tells the story of three of the 900 Belizean lumberjacks who left the tropical rainforests of British Honduras in 1942 to help Britain fight fascism by felling trees in Scotland, with some staying on after the war to make new lives in a country where, for better or worse, the colour of their skin marked them out. Intertwining newly discovered archive, long cherished memories and a last reunion the documentary is a lyrical and moving testament.
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| 'Across the Waters' was shown at the May 2005 Commonwealth Film Festival in Manchester and at Britspotting in Berlin, Basel and Leipzig during April/May 2005. |
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It was also shown at:
Feb/March 2005 Bridging the Gap Screenings: Journeys
November 2004 Sheffield International Documentary Festival
October 2004 47th International Leipzig Festival of Documentary and Animation |
Read about Sana's traineeship at Pilton Video, which was supported by the National Lottery through the Scottish Arts Council.
For further information on Sana's work, visit her website on www.blanko.org.uk and find out more about Scottish Screen. |