Auntie Has The Perfect Girl: A South Asian Rom-Com
Donation protected
Logline
Two Muslims losing hope that they will ever find love, abandon tradition and show their true individualities on this shockingly up-front first date.
Synopsis
Zaki and Layla are two lovelorn Pakistani-Americans that are trying to hold on to different parts of their culture while being true to their own identities as first-generation Americans. Having had no luck on previous blind dates, both decide that this time they will be exactly themselves, even if that means skirting tradition and risk being viewed as “Bad Muslims.”
Director’s Statement
As the child of immigrant parents, I live in between two worlds: my parent’s homeland of Pakistan, and mine of America.
How do I mark my own path while honoring the cultural touchstones of my motherland?
This is the question lying at the heart of AUNTIE HAS THE PERFECT GIRL.
Add the complexity of religious beliefs in a society that leans more atheist every day, our two main characters must ask themselves: how much am I willing to compromise in my search for love?
This story is one that anyone searching for companionship can relate to, but it is told specifically through the lens of American Muslims. I could have used any religion as the backdrop to this story, but our society needs more Muslims on screen. America, and the world, look to media for guidance on how to feel about people, and I can’t help but think that if there were more accurate portrayals of everyday Muslims, there would be fewer attacks like the one we recently saw in New Zealand.
Maybe it’s foolish of me to think that a little movie like ours could be powerful enough to prevent something so tragic, but as an artist, it would be foolish of me not to try.
-Ruman Kazi
Videos
Please watch the videos below to get a better understanding of our film and its themes.
We'll start with a direct fundraising appeal from our director about the support we need from you.
"I really am hoping that this film will lead us all to becoming more open-minded and flexible in our search for love."
Next, we recently went to a Muslim Matrimonial Event designed to have a safe, "halal" environment for people to meet each other, and asked some questions relating to themes from our film. Here they are!
"I fell in love after I got married."
"It's really about trying to make a connection."
Lastly, our script was chosen to be a part of a staged reading series, where we got to hear the story performed by professional actors.
Here, our director answers some of the moderator's questions:
"By any means necessary. We're gonna get this movie made."
"Right away these characters talk about real, big issues."
"We all have our voices."
"We would like it."
And For The Urdu Speakers
Hear about Ruman's journey from his news segment on VOA on Aaj News Channel in Pakistan:
PITCH DECK:
To see our pitch deck, please click on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wgD_O2d7o-As9tIZ3zO_bERlrj6gCuN5/view?usp=sharing
Two Muslims losing hope that they will ever find love, abandon tradition and show their true individualities on this shockingly up-front first date.
Synopsis
Zaki and Layla are two lovelorn Pakistani-Americans that are trying to hold on to different parts of their culture while being true to their own identities as first-generation Americans. Having had no luck on previous blind dates, both decide that this time they will be exactly themselves, even if that means skirting tradition and risk being viewed as “Bad Muslims.”
Director’s Statement
As the child of immigrant parents, I live in between two worlds: my parent’s homeland of Pakistan, and mine of America.
How do I mark my own path while honoring the cultural touchstones of my motherland?
This is the question lying at the heart of AUNTIE HAS THE PERFECT GIRL.
Add the complexity of religious beliefs in a society that leans more atheist every day, our two main characters must ask themselves: how much am I willing to compromise in my search for love?
This story is one that anyone searching for companionship can relate to, but it is told specifically through the lens of American Muslims. I could have used any religion as the backdrop to this story, but our society needs more Muslims on screen. America, and the world, look to media for guidance on how to feel about people, and I can’t help but think that if there were more accurate portrayals of everyday Muslims, there would be fewer attacks like the one we recently saw in New Zealand.
Maybe it’s foolish of me to think that a little movie like ours could be powerful enough to prevent something so tragic, but as an artist, it would be foolish of me not to try.
-Ruman Kazi
Videos
Please watch the videos below to get a better understanding of our film and its themes.
We'll start with a direct fundraising appeal from our director about the support we need from you.
"I really am hoping that this film will lead us all to becoming more open-minded and flexible in our search for love."
Next, we recently went to a Muslim Matrimonial Event designed to have a safe, "halal" environment for people to meet each other, and asked some questions relating to themes from our film. Here they are!
"I fell in love after I got married."
"It's really about trying to make a connection."
Lastly, our script was chosen to be a part of a staged reading series, where we got to hear the story performed by professional actors.
Here, our director answers some of the moderator's questions:
"By any means necessary. We're gonna get this movie made."
"Right away these characters talk about real, big issues."
"We all have our voices."
"We would like it."
And For The Urdu Speakers
Hear about Ruman's journey from his news segment on VOA on Aaj News Channel in Pakistan:
PITCH DECK:
To see our pitch deck, please click on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wgD_O2d7o-As9tIZ3zO_bERlrj6gCuN5/view?usp=sharing
Fundraising team: Ruman Kazi, Aimee Von Arx, Abubakar (5)
Ruman Kazi
Organizer
Raised $5,871 from 43 donations
Los Angeles, CA
Abubakar Khan
Team member
Aimee Von Arx
Team member
Beatrice Von Schwerin
Team member
CashmereJasmine DoesPhoto-Video
Team member
This team raised $560 from 16 other donations.
