Locarno Sufi Trance Doc ‘As Light as Air’ Director Umair Bilal on Surrendering to a Pakistani Shrine Town: ‘I Became Part of Its Rhythm’

Pakistani filmmaker Umair Bilal spent months in the shrine town of Sehwan trying to direct his debut documentary 'As Light as Air.' But the place resisted his vision. Variety reports that Bilal realized each attempt to impose his creative logic was working against the community rather than with it. He surrendered to Sehwan's rhythm instead—and the resulting film is premiering at Locarno.

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