Pakistani-Canadian film to debut at Toronto International Film Festival

Pakistani-Canadian film ‘The Queen of My Dreams’ will have its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 8, according to information posted on the TIFF website.

The film was screened at the Cannes Film Market in May 2023, and will showcase within the Discovery program at TIFF.

The comedy-drama has been written and directed by Fawzia Mirza, and features Amrit Kaur, Pakistan actors Nimra Bucha and Hamza Haq in lead roles. The rest of the cast will include Ali Kazmi, Meher Jaffri, Bakhtawar Mazhar and Adnan Jaffar.

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Director Mirza said she wanted to explore “the intergenerational connections between mothers and daughters, East and West, home and away – infused with humor, romance, and Bollywood fantasy”, according to screendaily.

The story follows Azra, played by Kaur, who is a Pakistani woman living in Toronto, and worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother.

When her father dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined, from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming-of-age in rural Canada.

Earlier this week, Mirza announced that the producing team was nominated for Indiescreen awards by the Canadian Media Producers Awards.

A joint production between Pakistan and Canada, the film was shot in Karachi and Nova Scotia, Canada. The film has been produced by Kamil Chima and Carol Noronha along with Jason Levangie, Marc Tetreault, and Andria Wilson Mirza.

The film was funded by Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, Province of Nova Scotia, Screen Nova Scotia and Province of Ontario.

TIFF is scheduled to run from September 7–17, and is often a welcome springboard for emerging filmmakers and arthouse cinema, prior to a wider release.

Last year, Jemima Khan’s film, ‘Whats Love Got To Do With It’ also screened at TIFF, earning rave reviews.