The Buraq That Can't Fly

The Buraq That Can’t Fly is a short film made as part of the Hong Kong ‘All About Us’ film festival in 2024. The festival provides space for ethnic minorities in cinema, who were involved in their Creative Camp and Young Filmmaker Mentoring Programme. The topics it focuses on, including struggles of oppression, immigration and loyalty to tradition, are seen in this director's short film.

It opens with camera footage of a baby, Rumi (Khan Muhammad Arham), while the fairytale story of a prince narrates over. The audience are then brought into his real life with his parents, Ayesha (Shanaia Khursigara) and Niyas (Syed Muteen). Immediately their circumstance is grounded - they have recently moved to Hong Kong, a substantial life change whether for good reasons or because of difficulties. It seems however they have entered a kind, supportive community. Their lives in very early parenthood transitions to years later, through another segment of camera footage, where Rumi is celebrating his fifth birthday. On this day, the story blossoms from the enclosed, intimate, central focus of parenthood, to the topic of Ayesha’s untraditional love of filming and storytelling. This passion existed from the beginning, shown in the camera footage used and her recording throughout Rumi’s early life. Yet as her child has grown and the demand of motherhood has eased slightly, there is now room for her supposed immodesty to come to light more. This draws attention from their neighbour Nargis (Shafin Azim), whose children are portrayed as friends with Rumi and thus close with the family. Through her uncertainty over Ayesha’s behaviour, Zeed deftly explores the delicate topic of gender roles, specifically women as mothers and the expectation laid upon them to give up their dreams for the sake of others.

The film is visually beautiful. It utilises soft lighting, intimate and busy frames and slow moving scenes. Interweaved throughout are sequences of camera footage from Rumi’s childhood, which heightens the naturalistic and artistic feel of the film (furthered by the fact parts are real footage of the director’s childhood). It uses cinematography to explore deeper unseen elements - the last few moments we spend with the family with Rumi as a baby is through a visually divided image. The camera sees into two separate rooms, with Ayesha and Nisyas in each one. Ayesha spends time alone with Rumi, at one point filming him in her arms. Next door, Niyas entertains the children by telling them the story of the Buraq that can’t fly, which the film centralises on. His story of a mythical creature who cannot do what is expected while his wife shares the screen in an image of motherhood, is an artistic choice that feeds the topic of the story.

The storytelling succeeds in grounding the issues of the characters and then allowing them to meet a solution. For Ayesha, the kindness and love of her husband means her passion is encouraged, shown through his screening of her film to the family and neighbours. Similarly when Nargis tries to reason with Ayesha, gently putting her off her actions for the sake of motherhood and her responsibilities, she relates to her. Nargis’ love for dancing was something she parted with for the same reasons. Yet at the end, we see her dancing with her husband and two children in a sweet and moving final scene. This is an instance of the film's clever, detailed storytelling and within the story, makes a statement that societal expectations should not flood out such wonderful passions that create moments of love and joy. To hold onto what you love, something that identifies who you are, is brave and it is not this which one should give up, but the expectation to do so.

The characters and dialogue are consistently beautiful and evidence of Zeed’s talent and dedication. The film is realistic and grounded, allowing audiences to sympathise with its genuine, kind characters. But it also has abstract elements, like the camera footage used and the imagined sequence Ayesha has while playing with Rumi, which welcomes animation. The audience are gifted viewership into the lives of this group, in a story that teaches kindness, authenticity and community despite societal expectations.