Pakistani short film on mental illness makes it to Locarno film fest

A film by Hamza Bangash named 'Dia' - that orbits around the notion of mental illness - is all set to premier at the Locarno festival in Switzerland. 

Just like his previous projects named 'Rang Raaz' which was a short film and a theatre play named 'Suno' which dealt with prickly themes, 'Dia' is also his next message-based venture.

'Dia' is a psychological thriller that covers a true story of a girl who gets involved in a secret online romance and begins to break away from reality. Soon, she suffers a mental break down due to pressures of her exams and marriage proposals and is taken to a spiritual leader as a remedy to the issue.

'Dia' is one of three Pakistani films, including 'Zinda Bhaag' (2013) and documentary short film '298-C' which are being showcased at Locarno Festival that commences this week.

"Mental health is something I've been passionate about for a long time now," says Bangash while talking to a local newspaper. 

"As part of the collaboration with PILL, I got to meet with many people struggling with mental illness. I found a case study about a girl whose mental condition was getting progressively worse and her family refused to seek out psychological treatment. It's only after the mother witnesses her daughter doing something truly horrific that she realizes that she needs professional psychological help. That was the basic inspiration for Dia," he adds. 

With this, the director seeks out for donors who can help him turn 'Dia' into a feature film.