Without Shepherds is a documentary about Pakistan. It is a story of six bold individuals who navigate the turbulent waters of Pakistan and fight to build a better tomorrow.
Directed by Cary McClelland and Co-Directed by Imran Babur, Without Shepherds features Vaneeza Ahmad, Arieb Azhar, Mohammed Ibrahim, Abdullah Khan, Imran Khan and Laiba Yousafzai
Six bold Pakistanis, in the middle of a nationwide crisis, stand up try to build a different tomorrow: a cricket star starting a progressive political party, a female journalist working behind Taliban lines, an ex-mujahid seeking redemption, a trucker crossing dangerous territory to feed his family, a supermodel pushing feminism through fashion, and a subversive Sufi rocker using music to heal.
Filmed by a team of American and Pakistani filmmakers over two years, Without Shepherds cuts through alarmist media depictions of the country to celebrate the bravery of its people.
Without Shepherds is a verité documentary filmed in the heart of the war on terror in Pakistan. With unrivaled access to both emerging national leaders and unheard voices, the film stars six people fighting to forge a new direction in Pakistanʼs turbulent waters.
The film begins in wake of Benazir Bhuttoʼs assassination and in the midst of Pakistan’s first national election in ten years. Just as the country faces an unprecedented opportunity to shape a new future, we follow each of our characters as they take their first steps in bold new directions of their own:
IMRAN KHAN – Pakistan’s answer to Michael Jordan and George Clooney in one leaves the cricket pitch for politics, and tries to build a new coalition of young, energetic and progressive voices that can keep his country from tearing itself apart.
VANEEZA, the country’s first supermodel, launches a new fashion channel to encourage women to reimagine their role in society and take bold steps outside of the home and into public life.
IBRAHIM, returns home from a decade fighting alongside the Taliban. Blood on his hands and heavy remorse in his chest, thwarted by friends and family who cannot look beyond his past, he tries to find a way to turn his experience into a cautionary example for others.
LAIBA, a female journalist, travels behind Taliban lines to discover families caught in the crossfire between US forces and militant extremists.
ABDULLAH, a truck driver, braves dangerous roads, corrupt colleagues, and an unraveling economy to try to feed his family. He hopes to give his children a better education than he received in the madrasa.
ARIEB, a rock musician in a country where religious leaders have barred his music, travels the country in search of inspiration. He journeys to find voice that can fight back against the extremism and violence around him.
Without Shepherds is a visual dance that weaves these lives into a tapestry. The film follows each of its subjects through their darkest and brightest moments and attempts to present them warts and all as they grapple with the dangerous challenges ahead of them. Whether we are north in a truck struggling in first gear up the side of the
Himalayas, or in the pouring rain in Islamabad at the heart of a throbbing political rally, at mystic shrine in the deserts of the south, or a private estate thatʼs been hastily converted into a refugee camp we are there through every moment to watch our characters sweat, love, laugh, collapse, and get back on their feet.
The film is a testament to the fundamental will for progressive change and the shared values that unite Americans and Pakistanis alike. Our countries’ relationship relies on government agreements, military funding and aid packages that never really reach the people who need it most.
Without Shepherds sees a world where things fall apart and identifies the people who try to put them back together. These characters’ stories are a window for a global audience to look deep into the heart of this misunderstood country as it discovers its direction for the new century.
Source, and for more details: Without Shepherds website
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