Rishta
A Canadian-Pakistani woman struggles to balance her Westernized notions of love, along with the expectations of her traditional parents who want her to have an arranged marriage.
Synopsis​
Rishta explores the conflicting romantic ideals of Eastern and Western cultures. The short film is set over the course of one evening after Saba has reluctantly agreed to meet a potential suitor identified by her parents. The experience forces Saba to reconcile her own views with the expectations of her traditional Pakistani family.
About The Film
Rishta was produced with the support of a grant from Ryerson University's Chang Film School. The script won the 2018 Film Hub award, an initiative designed to support emerging talent in film. Writer/Director Silvet Ali and Producer Mauro Cecchi set out to bring the script to life after graduating from the Chang School program, working with a tight-knit crew composed of mainly Chang School graduates.
Cast
Uppekha Jain - Saba
Steve Kasan - Omar
Sachel Metoo - Nadia
Gurbir Bal Gogo - Fatima
Gursharan Mann - Zaheer
Credits
Writer/Director - Silvet Ali
Producer - Mauro Cecchi
Director of Photography - Jeffrey Danyleyko
Production Designer - Luca Aguiar Almeida
Editor - Bradley Mulder
Script Supervisor - Maria Elliott
Casting Director - Jazz Virk
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Special Thanks
Chuck Scott, Joanna Tsanis, Jerome Martin
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About The Director
Silvet Ali is a Montreal-based journalist and filmmaker who graduated from Ryerson University's Chang School Film Program in 2018. She completed her BA in Journalism with a Minor in Film Studies at Concordia University and joined the CBC Montreal team as a journalist and producer in both radio and television in 2009. After nearly a decade of working at CBC, she decided to explore her love for film and now divides her time between Montreal and Toronto, working in both broadcast journalism and film. Ali was inspired to tell the story of Rishta based on her personal experience growing up as the daughter of Pakistani immigrants in Montreal and navigating societal pressures.
