Full house for film premiere of Rochdale South Asian Community Trilogy

The premiere was well attended with local residents and actors, plus former mayors of Rochdale, councillors and the deputy mayor, Councillor Aasim Rashid

Local film company Kashmiri Productions UK rolled out the red carpet last week for a special premiere of the company’s first creation, ‘The Rochdale South Asian Community Trilogy’, at the Kashmiri Youth Project on Belfield Road.

The ‘experimental’ trilogy is comprised of three short films – ‘Welcome to Rochdale’, ‘Three Zero Four Five’ and ‘Old is Gold’ – which were filmed over two years in Rochdale by actor and filmmaker Zafar Iqbal, volunteers, participants, freelancers and the management committee of Kashmiri Productions UK.

Featuring three different languages, Pahari, Urdu and English, the interwoven films were shot with both local residents and professional actors, ranging from 14 to 86 years old.

The premiere was well attended with local residents and actors, plus former mayors of Rochdale, councillors and the deputy mayor, Councillor Aasim Rashid, enjoying the community-based shorts.

Deputy mayor Rashid said: “Kashmiri Productions UK is doing tremendous work by using film to highlight community issues. I am very pleased to attend their first ever premiere and hope there are many more to come.”

Councillor Shakil Ahmed said: “I was there when this organisation was set up last year. Now I am here attending the screening to see their first three film projects so this itself is a huge achievement.

“It was a full house; the films had a good message, and everybody had a good time.”

The idea of local graduates, Saba Andleeb and Zafar Iqbal, Kashmiri Productions UK is a not-for-profit local film production organisation, set up in 2018 to produce educational and entertainment projects that benefit wider communities.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/1/business-news/118009/new-film-production-company-launched-in-rochdale

Saba Andleeb, chair of Kashmiri Productions UK, said: “This experimental project provided a platform to locals and beyond to share personal experiences for raising awareness, sharing their history, develop new skills and socialising and that is very important to us.

“Thank you to all our funders and supporters – KYP, Rochdale Township, Awards for All and Ambition for Ageing Rochdale – as well as all participants including actors, volunteers, freelancers, locals and the management committee."