Good Morning Lovelies, 

As the BFI London Film Festival enters its final few days (don’t talk to me about it as I am not emotionally ready!), I spoke to director and creator Arshad Khan about his upcoming film Abu, which is due to screen at the event on the 13th and 14th October.

Khan's film offers a touching and personal look into his relationship with his father and the journey he takes to accept his sexuality.  In this interview we discuss what the film meant to him, what he learnt during the filmmaking process and how it feels to be at the BFI LFF…

Firstly, congratulations on Abu being chosen for the BFI London Film Festival! How does it feel to be at the event?
Abu is an important film for the UK and for London. The fact that the BFI programmers selected it means they understand the importance of this project and that to me is absolute thrilling.

For those who don’t know, please could you tell us what Abu is about?
Abu means “father”. The film is really about connection. Connection between a child and a parent. Connection between communities. Connection between man and god. It is a film about my struggle as a gay son with my very devout Muslim, Pakistani father but it’s really almost like the history of Pakistan. It is an attempt to let the Western audience that we deserve respect and it’s an attempt to let the South Asian/Pakistani/Muslim audience remember who we are and where we come from. Abu is a celebration of connection. 

The film is very personal. What made you decide to capture such intimate moments on camera?
My father loved technology and he emphasized this deep love of photography and documentation on us. Perhaps because he was himself an orphan, he wanted to capture all the significant moments of his life. I was lucky to receive that inheritance of documentation and culture from him, which I use to tell this story.



Your family are very important people within the film, what do they think about it?
Those who have seen the film absolutely love it. It surprised me too- even the most conservative family members love it. Which is so nice. Others have chosen to not watch it and that’s unfortunate.

Is there a scene in the film that you want audiences to look out for? Why this one?
I think my coming out scene always makes people laugh. There are a lot of moments of unexpected humour in the film, which in a cinema can be contagious.

It took five years to complete the film. What have you learnt about filmmaking that you didn’t know before?
I have learned everything about filmmaking by making this film. I learned that despite going to film school and working in the industry in several capacities, there is nothing like learning from marking a full film from concept to rollout. 

Are there any films that you are looking forward to seeing or hoping to catch at the festival?
I am very excited to catch some of the British and Indian films at the festival. The Song of Scorpions and The Hungry for sure.

Finally, can you tell us about anything you are working on next?
I am working on a fictional feature film next. It’s a comi-tragedy based out of Canada about a very unusual couple and thematically along the lines of my precious works examining the war on terror and identity. Wish me Luck.