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Original Film Title: Saffron Kingdom
Director’s Name: Arfat Sheikh
Writer’s Name: Arfat Sheikh, Marium Khalid, Katie Leaman
Producer: Arfat Sheikh
Country of Origin: United States
Country of Filming: India, United States
Language: English, Hindi, Kashmiri, Urdu
Runtime: 1 hour 22 minutes
Film Description:
Inspired by actual events, Saffron Kingdom delves into the Kashmir conflict through the lens of a family’s journey from Srinagar in the 1990s to Atlanta in 2019. The narrative starts with young Masrat, who witnesses the violence of insurgency during her childhood. By 2014, as an adult, Masrat faces a devastating turn when her husband is abducted, forcing her to flee to America with her young son, Rizwan.
In Atlanta, Rizwan grapples with the trauma of his father’s disappearance, while Masrat balances her roles as a protective mother and a university researcher documenting their past. The political upheaval in 2019, including the revocation of Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and a military siege, severs their remaining ties to family in Kashmir, deepening their sense of loss. Both Masrat and Rizwan wrestle with intergenerational trauma as the scars of their homeland’s conflict reverberate through their lives.
Amidst these challenges, Masrat strives to reclaim her family’s narrative and find their place in a new world, highlighting the enduring struggle for identity and justice amidst personal and political turmoil.