You’ve heard the word “blasphemy,” but did you know that in some places it can be grounds for an arrest or even certain death? THE ACCUSED: DAMNED OR DEVOTED? takes a deep dive of four people accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. Director Ali Naqvi calls this documentary “the most dangerous film” he had ever worked on due to the controversial nature of these laws. Anyone who is seen as disrespecting Islam could be charged with this crime. This film explores two sides of the argument: those who believe that it must change and those who will try to keep it at all costs. The law’s greatest advocate is Cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi who uses the case of a Christain woman named Asia Bibi, as a key component of his platform for the upcoming Prime Minister elections. Neha Aziz, Shorts Programmer

*Single-film ticket purchases begin June 4. Virtual film screenings are only available for Texas viewers.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Mohammed Ali Naqvi

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Fiona Stourton

CO-PRODUCERS: Syed Musharraf Shah, Mohsin Abbas

ADDITIONAL EDITOR: Kamran Shahnawaz

COMPOSER: Toni Martin Dobrzanski

LENGTH: 77 min

LANGUAGES: Urdu and English with English subtitles

COUNTRY: UK | Pakistan

GENRE: Documentary

ACCOLADES / FESTIVALS

2020 Copenhagen International Documentary Festival

2020 Doc Edge Film Festival

2020 Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival

2020 Bergen International Film Festival

2020 Docville International Documentary Film Festival

2020 United Nations Association Film Festival International Documentary Film Festival