The 15th Chicago South Asian Film Festival’s Best Documentary — Audience Choice Award went to the documentary Songs of the Sufi (SOTS), which is about Pakistani music.
The Qawwal Bachay Gharana, as well as enthusiasts, followers, and music academics, are the qawwals who narrate the story of traditional qawwali in this feature documentary. The movie creates a cinematic musical visual experience through the use of Mughal miniature paintings, interviews, qawwalis, narration in the form of verité, and Sufi art by prominent Pakistani artists.
Songs of the Sufi is a beautiful craft that teaches us about love’s universal message as well as its history and culture. I’m overjoyed that the movie won our festival and was notable for its deep emotional resonance and skillful direction.
