The Colour of My Heart
Presents
A film by Umar Riaz
The first Pakistani documentary to be given a nationwide theatrical release in Pakistan.
SHOWTIMES AND TICKETS
Karachi · Lahore · Islamabad
Karachi
Lahore
Showtimes and tickets are available on each cinema’s website.
About the film
Zia Mohyeddin, Pakistan’s most venerated actor devotes his final years to resurrecting Urdu poetry and passing it on to the next generation.
‘The Colour of My Heart’ is a fifteen-years-in-the-making creative documentary chronicling the life and work of two extraordinary Pakistani artists: legendary actor Zia Mohyeddin (‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘A Passage to India’) and revolutionary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The work of the two men find congruence one night in Lahore, Pakistan on December 31st 2010 as Zia recites Faiz’s poetry during his annual Urdu poetry readings. Weaving Faiz’s poetry into an exploration of Zia’s life and mission to keep Urdu poetry alive for future generations, ‘The Colour of My Heart’ explores the challenges facing artists in the contemporary Muslim world, the erasure of native languages and identity in South Asia, the idea and implications of nationhood and what it means to persevere through personal difficulties even at the very end of your life.
Official trailer
Reviews
“In an age marked by censorship and cultural amnesia, this film stands as a necessary act of remembrance. Refusing to let sensationalism eclipse substance, it restores to public memory the artists, thinkers and histories that once shaped Pakistan’s cultural and intellectual life. It is more important than ever that we engage meaningfully with such work. So, whether you are a lover of literature or of Urdu, or simply a concerned citizen, this documentary is essential viewing. At its core, ‘The Colour of My Heart’ is a poignant reminder of how a return to ourselves — our language, our culture, our literature — is the only way forward…”
A film of “rare, archival gravity, preserving the last, fading echoes of a generation of intellectuals.”
“…a unique film… unprecedented in Pakistan…”
“…an essential watch…”
Revive the culture. Join the conversation.
On
Log, rate & review on Letterboxd ↗
About the director
Umar Riaz
Umar Riaz is a prior Student Academy Award nominated filmmaker, born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. In 2009 he graduated with a degree in English Literature and Cinema Studies from New York University’s College of Arts and Science and then graduated from the prestigious Graduate Film Program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he was awarded an Ang Lee Scholarship for ‘exceptionally talented graduate film students.’
His award winning films have screened at film festivals internationally including at Locarno, Raindance, Woodstock, Cinequest, Blackstar and Doc Edge amongst several others. He was Artistic Consultant for director Terrence Malick on ‘Knight of Cups’ (2016) and as well as an Additional Editor for Mr Malick’s film ‘Song to Song’ (2017). He was also the contributor of a scene in director Spike Lee’s Chi-raq (2015).
In 2020, he was selected to create a film installation at the Pakistan Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai. The Pavillion went on to win the Silver Award for Best Exhibition design at the Expo 2020 awards out of 192 countries. His music videos for Pakistani musical artists have garnered more than 10 million views on Youtube.
Stills from the film
Posters & release artwork
About Asna Pictures
10 Years of Asna Pictures
Asna Pictures is an Art, Media and Cultural Production Company founded in 2016, dedicated to the memory, spirit and bravery of Asna Riaz — a young Pakistani woman who fought an exceptionally courageous battle against Cystic Fibrosis.
In ten years Asna Pictures has produced internationally award winning short narrative and documentaries with a focus on untold Pakistani as well as South Asian stories and culture.
It has also produced or co-produced music videos for Pakistani artists such as Ali Sethi, Meesha Shafi, Zeb and Haniya, Jimmy Khan, Haniya Aslam and Rakae Jamil garnering many millions of views on YouTube and social media.
Asna Pictures is dedicated to the cultivation of the knowledge and skills of the next generation of Pakistani independent artists.
‘The Colour of My Heart’ is Asna Pictures’ first feature length production.