‘As Light as Air’ Is a Hypnotic Experimental Doc About Collective Ecstasy in a City in Pakistan (Locarno Trailer)
As Light as Air is the title of Pakistani filmmaker Umair Bilal’s feature debut, which will world premiere on Aug. But things are not only light but also...
Key points
- As Light as Air is the title of Pakistani filmmaker Umair Bilal’s feature debut, which will world premiere on Aug.
- But things are not only light but also hypnotic in the cinematic world that the experimental documentary invites people into.
- “Drawn together by music and devotion, they surrender themselves to a shared state of trance.” Bilai also produced the film and handled cinematography together with Konstantin Stell.
- In a world that can feel increasingly suffocating, these spaces offer something close to sanctuary, a temporary release from the weight of everyday life.” When he first arrived to film, he approached Sehwan as “an observer, trying to understand the repetitive patterns and rituals that have been followed for centuries,” the filmmaker highlights.
What happened
As Light as Air is the title of Pakistani filmmaker Umair Bilal’s feature debut, which will world premiere on Aug. But things are not only light but also hypnotic in the cinematic world that the experimental documentary invites people into. “Drawn together by music and devotion, they surrender themselves to a shared state of trance.” Bilai also produced the film and handled cinematography together with Konstantin Stell. In a world that can feel increasingly suffocating, these spaces offer something close to sanctuary, a temporary release from the weight of everyday life.” When he first arrived to film, he approached Sehwan as “an observer, trying to understand the repetitive patterns and rituals that have been followed for centuries,” the filmmaker highlights. By spending long hours with the inhabitants of Sehwan, and allowing myself to move at the town’s own rhythm, I began to let go of that need to understand everything, and instead let myself feel the space. Gradually, I became part of its rhythm.” THR can now reveal the trailer for the film.