I'll Meet You There (film)

I'll Meet You There is a 2020 drama film written, directed and produced by Iram Parveen Bilal with co-producers Joy Ganes and Ilana Rossein. The film portrays a modern Pakistani-American family in Chicago, and stars Faran Tahir, Qavi Khan, Nikita Tewani, Sheetal Sheth, and Samrat Chakrabarti. It was nominated for the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award at South by Southwest in 2020.

I'll Meet You There
Poster showing the lead cast of film
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIram Parveen Bilal
Written byIram Parveen Bilal
Produced byIram Parveen Bilal
Joy Ganes
Ilana Rossein
StarringFaran Tahir
Qavi Khan
Nikita Tewani
Sheetal Sheth
Samrat Chakrabarti
CinematographyAnthony C. Kuhnz
Edited byCari Coughlin
Spence Nicholson
Music byCION Collective (Ahsan Bari; Faisal Baig)
Production
company
Parveen Shah Productions
Distributed byLevel Forward
Release date
Running time
1h 30m
CountryUnited States
LanguagesUrdu
English

Plot

Dua, a young Pakistani-American woman, dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Majeed, her father and a Chicago police officer, supports her dream. For her audition at Juilliard, Dua trains in Kathak dance, following in the footsteps of her deceased mother. An unexpected visit from Majeed's father from Pakistan causes Dua to reckon with her Americanization, brings reminders of her mother's death, and encourages Majeed to become more involved with the local mosque and Muslim community. But when a new assignment with the Chicago police requires Majeed to surveil his community members at the mosque, the consequences affect the entire family.[1][2][3]

Cast

Release

I'll Meet You There was originally set to have its world premiere at South by Southwest in March 2020; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film festival was cancelled.[4] Instead, I'll Meet You There premiered in the US at the Bentonville Film Festival in August 2020, and its world premiere took place at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in September 2020.[5]

In December 2020, Level Forward studios acquired distribution rights for the film in North America.[6] The film was rolled out in North America on February 3, 2021.[7]

Ban in Pakistan

In March 2022, one week before the film's anticipated release in Pakistan, the Central Board of Film Censors announced that it had banned I'll Meet You There from showing in the country. The Board cited that the film "does not reflect true Pakistani culture" and "portrays a negative image of Muslims." The cast and filmmaker Bilal decried the censorship, with Bilal stating: "I respectfully disagree that there is just one notion of what Pakistan and Pakistani values are. When we ask the diaspora to contribute and donate, when we even care to enable them to vote in elections, then we should also include their troubles, identity struggles and issues as 'Pakistani.' Let’s please end the elitism that a nation or religion can only belong to a select few."[8][9]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% over seven reviews.[10] The film has been described as a "departure from how Muslims and South Asians have typically been depicted in American cinema" for how supportive Majeed is of his daughter's agency as a young woman.[1]

Accolades

The film was nominated for the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award at South by Southwest in 2020.[11] In 2021, the film was a recipient of a ReFrame Stamp for gender equality in hiring for a narrative feature film.[12]

References
  1. Deb, Sopan (February 16, 2021). "A Pakistani-American Tale Upends Expectations Onscreen and in Life". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  2. Simon, Scott (February 13, 2021). "'I'll Meet You There': A Dancer Finds New Rhythm In Her Culture". NPR.org. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  3. Karim, Anhar (February 15, 2021). "Faran Tahir Looks Back On Playing One Of The First Villains In The Marvel Cinematic Universe". Forbes. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  4. "How Canceling SXSW Because of Coronavirus Affected These Filmmakers". Variety. March 26, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  5. Shafer, Ellise (September 2, 2020). "Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Goes Virtual for 36th Edition". Variety. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  6. Ramachandran, Naman (December 17, 2020). "Level Forward Acquires North American Rights for SXSW Title 'I'll Meet You There' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  7. Rathore, Reena (February 3, 2021). "'I'll Meet You There': Pakistani American Filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal Incorporates Race, Religion, Identity, Dance to Create a Heartwarming Family Story". India West. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  8. Ramachandran, Naman (March 9, 2022). "Pakistan Bans SXSW Title 'I'll Meet You There' for 'Negative Image of Muslims,' Director Speaks Out (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  9. Lodhi, Adnan (March 10, 2022). "Qavi Khan's film, 'I'll Meet You There' banned in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  10. "I'll Meet You There (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  11. Kay, Jeremy (March 13, 2020). "SXSW to judge 2020 competition films digitally". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  12. "The ReFrame Stamp for Feature Film". ReFrame. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
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