Fifth Avenue

An exiled Pakistani poet finds fresh inspiration in his new home. Based on the poem performed onscreen by Hasan Mujtaba.

This impressionistic short film was an experiment, and an opportunity to collaborate with a talented friend. Hasan Mujtaba has worked for many years as a journalist speaking truth to power in home country of Pakistan, as well as an accomplished poet, now living in Queens, New York. 

The poem is a beautiful meditation on missing home, while unexpectedly finding a meaningful connection to a new and unfamiliar place. It connects images of New York’s busy Fifth Avenue with images of Pakistan.

It was also a fun opportunity to dress an actor as Alan Ginsberg, since Hasan mentions him in the poem. (In fact, Ginsberg is name checked in the Urdu title of the poem.)

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