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Rama’s Second Thought (A Story)
Dilip was a great musician. He had been lucky. He had a great master who was feted in London, Paris, San Fransisco, Benares and Calcutta. In those days, for an Indian musician in particular, this was rare. Dilip’s Guru-ji was a rare bird – a genius – both musically and as a show man. Guru-ji…
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Pencils
Do people still use pencils? Well I certainly do, and the best, my favourite, the cream of the crop, is the wonderful Mitsubishi Hi-Uni Pencil. It is available in at least 15 different lead grades, is solid and reliable. I was introduced to it by a most wonderful friend of mine, the late architect, artist and professor Cyrus Jhabvala.…
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Wash Your Face
Our grandparents may have washed their faces with soap and water for seventy years and had great skin, but theirs were simpler times (or so we think). Despite pea-soupers, they did not have to deal with as much pollution (or advertising) as their grandchildren contend with. And many of us use something more fussy than soap to wash away the…
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Acid Free Paper – What does it mean?
I am really proud to say that today I have a special guest blog from Lorraine Finch who is an accredited conservator specialising in the conservation and preservation of film, sound and photographs. She has 22 years conservation experience working in museums, libraries, archives and with individuals. She owns and runs LF Conservation and Preservation. In a…
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Being a woman in a “gentleman’s club”
It was just that I had the feeling the art scene belonged to the men, and that I was in some way invading their domain. Therefore the work was done and hidden away. I felt more comfortable hiding it. On the other hand, I destroyed nothing. I kept every fragment. – Louise Bourgeois, 1979 When…
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So you want to go to film school in NYC?
Mythbusting: You need to be rich to go to film school. No! But if you’re not, you need to be seriously tough, lucky and imprudent…. Here are some thoughts that may help you navigate this difficult but rewarding journey if you are considering film school in the States. Graduate film school is a massive investment of…
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Give Us This Day: Part 2
I am not ignorant of the baked goods on offer at London’s cornucopia of bakeries, but as far as the many chains – both great and small – go, I remain mostly unmoved. I would say however that several branches (and yes they can vary a little from branch to branch) of Le Pain Quotidien,…
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Give Us This Day: Part I
The discerning shopper has been on holiday. I apologise for the lull in my activities, but I have not been idle. I will soon be updating the blog with tips and images from Buenos Aires and beyond. This first real post back is about that most essential of foods: bread. I’m not going to advocate particular…
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Croissants in Cannes
I’ve just returned from a week at Cannes, and must recommend the wonderful traiteur and boulanger Belliard at 1 rue Chabaud – just off rue d’Antibes (a stone’s throw and a far cry from the Croisette) – for their impeccable croissants. They also do a decent lunch at 11 euros.
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Carrying the Cannes
This is not a round-up of all the meetings I had, films I saw, or cards I collected while at my first Cannes Festival; rather it is a moment that I would like to take just to record how saddened I am by my vivid and direct experience of racial and ethnic tension in Provence-Alpes…
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About Bubbles
Bubbles is a short film about a child’s experience of witnessing domestic violence, starring international star Shabana Azmi. Set in London, it portrays life in the South Asian diaspora from a small girl’s perspective. Written and directed by Nasheed Qamar Faruqi, the film also features Bhasker Patel, Dolly Ballea and Christopher Simpson. The little girl, Bubbles, is…
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Bubbles: Credits
CREDITS Cast in order of appearance Yasmeen Siddiqui as Bubbles Shabana Azmi as Nani Bhasker Patel as Nana Christopher Simpson as The Young Man Dolly Ballea as Adult Bubbles Sarandha Tyagi as Nani’s hands Written & Directed by Nasheed Qamar Faruqi Produced by Ashwin Anil Desai Co-Producers Sam William Mitchell, Nasheed Qamar Faruqi, Shilpa Mankikar Director…
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Bubbles… More about the cast
CAST BIOGRAPHIES Shabana Azmi An of icon of international cinema and leading actress of the Indian New Wave Movement (also known as “Parallel Cinema”) Shabana Azmi has appeared in over 120 Hindi films in a career spanning five decades, winning a record five National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards for Best Actress. Shabana’s notable…
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Bubbles, A Synopsis
SYNOPSIS Bubbles is a tense and atmospheric short film about a little girl who witnesses an act of horrible violence at home, and how it drives her to despair and obsession. LONG SYNOPSIS Living in London with her South Asian grandparents, Bubbles sits watching Hindi film songs on the TV. Around her, the family is…
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Bubbles: Key Crew
CREW BIOGRAPHIES Nasheed Qamar Faruqi (Writer & Director) Nasheed is a London based filmmaker of Pakistani parentage, who’s made several short films and music videos. Before gaining her MFA in Filmmaking from Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Nasheed worked for Merchant Ivory Productions. She was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, where she read English. Nasheed…
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Bubbles: Our Charity Partners
Asha Projects, UK Asha is a South Asian organization that works to end violence against women and girls. If you are experiencing violence – or know a woman who is – please contact them for confidential advice and information. They offer secure temporary accommodation. http://www.ashaprojects.org.uk Awaaz, USA Formed in 2011 and based in San Antonio,…
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Bubbles: My Director’s Statement
BUBBLES is a film about a child’s shocking encounter with the adult violence; it is also about how violence is like a fog that seeps into family life and infects everyone. There are no easy answers in this short film, but I hope that it will move and provoke audiences to think about violence in…
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Bubbles in the Press
We’ve now completed Bubbles and I’m looking forward to an exciting festival run. Check out this interview in which I talk about the film.
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Nuts
I have one word for you: LIDL It’s one of the few supermarkets where the nuts aren’t liable to be stale.
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Wedding Dress
I had my wedding dress made by Elise Rodolphe on Boulevard Raspail in Paris. Her shop is called Au Fil D’Elise. Elise is lovely, as is her dressmaker Ander. Before starting her couture line, Elise collected and sold vintage clothes and fabrics, so there’s a real sense of history about her designs. My dress was…
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Citrus Fruit
Blood oranges, bergamot lemons and your more humble varieties: we are generally happy with our deliveries from riverford.co.uk – I would not say the same of their veg boxes which sometimes feel punishingly full of unappetising cabbages. We’ve also been underwhelmed by their clementines. All the supermarket chains are hit and miss when it comes…
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Soap
My vote – after copious trial and error – goes with Tisserand’s mild lavender soap bars. It is a good middle ground between the bog standard supermarket brands and the ridiculously expensive varieties. Apart from smelling lovely and being genuinely gentle and non-drying, these soaps are pleasant to use and have a good price point.…
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Tea
Shall I write a hymn to Postcard Teas? I would if I had a poetic bone in my body. Instead I’ll just say that this calm little shop on Dering Street is a delight. And as long as I can afford it, I will devote myself to their Earl Grey and Bold Breakfast teas. I’m…
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Hot Chocolate
There are a lot of nonsensical products out there, that promise a good hot chocolate. Don’t do it. And I’m not going to recommend taking out a mortgage so you can buy Valrhona or unicorn tears. Instead, I’m just going to recommend that you use Green and Black’s Cocoa powder (no sugar added). I’ve used…
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Diaries
Shepherds (who have branches on Gillingham Street and Curzon Street as well as Rochester Row) make the most attractive and best value diaries on the market in London. They come in two sizes and each diary is covered in lovely hand made chiyogami paper and hand bound. At £24 and £30 a go, I think…
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Bubbles: Press Links
Here is some of the coverage we’ve already had: Elle India Name to Know May 21st, 2015 The Friday Times, April 24th-30th 2015 “What the Eye Doesn’t See” Maheen Pracha in Conversation with Writer-Director Nasheed Qamar Faruqi. Ebuzz Interview, January 26th, 2015 (please note, there is currently a small error on this page. I wrote and directed Bubbles; Yann Heckmann…
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Bubbles: The Festival Journey
We began our festival journey at the Cannes Short Film Corner from May 16-21 2015.
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Picture Lock
We’ve locked picture on Outside/Bubbles. I have a strange empty feeling, that is only mitigated by anticipation for the sound mix and grade. It has been a long and rewarding journey to reach this point and I am so grateful to everyone I have worked with. So much to say, so many people to thank,…
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My Father’s Son… or Memory Lane
Sorting through photos of our shoot in 2007, I thought I’d share some of my faves….
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Outside …. OR Bubbles
After an invigorating Kickstarter Campaign – which amazed me for the generosity and groundswell of support we garnered – we completed the shoot of my latest short film Outside (now called BUBBLES) last month. I am currently working with Editor Yann Heckmann to cut the film and am really excited about getting it out into the…
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Something Delightful
On a more positive note, how I love the Moomins and Tove Jansson’s wacky sense of humour.
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Elia Kazan wrote…
Above all, permit the disruptive and the vulgar and the shocking and the revolutionary and the hateful thought.
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Ten Years Later
Ten years later after the Iraq War began, I wake to hear Radio 4’s Today programme commemorate the event. I am shocked and appalled by the level of Orwellian newspeak inflicted on me. As if to disavow British involvement in the atrocity, they refer to an offensive started ‘by the United States and its allies‘.…
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Salt
There are wounds that never heal; scars that are stubborn; memories that will not fade or be forgotten. I have dreams which return: night after night, the same images. God transformed Lot’s wife (did she have a name?) into a pillar of salt because she looked back. The unconscious is made of salt – buried,…
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Nasheed Qamar Faruqi 