Director Bassam Tariq, who directed his debut feature, These Birds Walk, telling the story of a runaway Pakistani boy and his relationship with the late humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi, is back in the spotlight.
His 2019 short film, Ghosts of Sugar Land, has been picked up by Netflix and is currently streaming on the platform.
Basaam Tariq, it turns out, also assembled Riz Ahmed’s ‘Mogambo’ music video. Speaking to ScreenDaily, he noted, “It’s really in honor of our friendship. Riz has become one of my closest friends. It’s one of those moments where I love the track and enjoyed our trip to Pakistan. I see it as an encapsulation of that time and our friendship.”
Riz Ahmed and Basaam Tariq, according to the interview, have also finished writing a film. Said Tariq, “I’m not allowed to say too much about it. It’s still being edited. It’s a fiction film written by me and Riz. He stars in it. I’m excited to see how people receive it when it’s finished.”
Apart from collaborating with Riz Ahmed, who goes by the musical moniker Riz MC, Basaam Tariq has the short, Waad to his credit. It is described as ‘one long, very complex take’. He told ScreenDaily, “A day and a half. The first day, we never got it right. We only got it right once, on the last take. I’m afraid to look at it now. You learn something from these films, but it comes with a lot of heartbreak.”
