Bhutto - Trailer - Benazir Bhutto documentary featured at Sundance festival

PARK CITY: An ambitious documentary featured at this weeks Sundance Film Festival is taking a dual-track approach to delve into the fascinating life of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistans assassinated former prime minister.

Jessica Hernandez and Johnny OHaras Bhutto, in competition at the major independent film showcase in the mountains of Utah, examines the many contours of Bhuttos life, a woman as loved as she was controversial.

But it also goes a step further, managing in just under two hours to place her tragic story in the broader context of Pakistans history and its troubled relations with rival neighbour India after independence.

That was the most difficult thing making sure that we are giving you an enormous amount of information, co-director Hernandez told AFP. And to make it entertaining was the only way to do that.

Ultra-slick editing, dynamic music and graphics, animation the directors pulled out all the stops to captivate their audience.

Producer Duane Baughman was quick to acknowledge that his goal was to make it as commercial, as active, as exciting, as moving as commercial movies.

It may be 115 minutes on the silver screen, but that was the very minimum to get the story, he added.

We dont feel like there is anything extraneous in there that we could have cut without losing something. Of course, every filmmaker feels that, but when you are talking about a country and a person, its pretty tough.

And yet the highly polished, produced aspect of Bhutto manages not to take away from its documentary strength.

The entire Bhutto family, friends and biographers sketch the portrait of a female figure who twice clinched victory as prime minister the first woman to occupy such a high post in any Muslim country and was on a third run for power when she was killed in a gun and suicide attack two years ago.

You mention the name of Bhutto, in Pakistan especially, and you will have no shortage of people who hate her and of people who love her, said Baughman.

For Hernandez, Bhutto was polarizing in many ways. The reasons speak so much about her, because there was a lot of things to say, on both hands.

Not satisfied with outlining her compelling successes, including restoring democracy to Pakistan, the documentary also tackles the many accusations of corruption that marred her name and that of her husband, current President Asif Ali Zardari.

Eerily enough, it is Bhuttos voice itself that narrates the film, culled from recordings for her autobiography.

Its one of our proudest achievements, said Baughman, noting that the tapes were recorded about 20 years ago.

They were in a basement, unheard before by any public audience.

Through Bhutto, the documentary also traces the fate of her family, dubbed Pakistans Kennedys.

It is a family dominated by her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former president and prime minister hanged by a military regime.

Assassinations, violent deaths or unexplained ones, internal conflict, glory and exile this roller-coaster ride forges the Bhutto legend.

You cannot have a conversation about those families without also asking what would have been. What would have been in a JFK (John F. Kennedy) second term, what would have been in a BB (Benazir Bhutto) third term? Baughman said.

But the film is also proof that Bhuttos two terms were already enough to fill history books.

Her legacy will be debated for the generations to come, Baughman added. —AFP

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/culture/07...

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[shannonm2461]

Beautiful film. I don't think it portrayed Pakistan negatively. Instead it told the history of Pakistan and gave you more an understanding of the climate of the area. I left the theater feeling positively about Pakistan. I thought the film was very sad though. 

[saha001]

another documentary portraying negativity about our country, how different and refreshing!

[blkscreen15]

@saha001 did you watch the documentary?? Seems like you are commenting based on just watching the trailer. Go watch the documentary and you will see its about Bhutto, not about Pakistan

[totalintegrity]

Vengance on the infidels a li li li allah akhbar!!

[Spicewire11]

May Benazir's struggle and determination motivate and infuse future generation sisters to seize their abusers and hang them!!!

[Spicewire11]

Need more women in politics in Pakistan. Need more feminists to kick those male chauvenistic dogs back to the stone aged caves they crawled from. Sorry, but my respect for Pakistan's leaders who are all influenced and/or puppeted by land owning or 'seemingly' religious fanatics who don't know dog shit about real Islam is way down the hole-in-the ground toilet after Benazir was assassinated. Modernists, tie them to a truck and drive it 100 miles p/hour from Swat to Karachi. Murdering hypocrites!

[jalarquitecto]

Beautifully made and informative film about a remarkable and strong woman who gave her everything for fame. It would be a great pity to see her beautiful children do the same road.

please fight for freedom from the home and the workplace.... you are a good family and deserve to live a life of personal freedom for yourselves and not give up your lives foolishly for some political idea...

Benazir brought schools education health and respectibility to Pakistan, but at a terrible personal price.

[TheWakeup123]

I've seen the movie, but can u get me the soundtracks used in the movie plz?

[iancucornel]

@saha001 who the fuck give a shit about your gipsy islamo-fascist country?!?! Stop persecution against christians, and down with that stupid "blasphemy law".

[naym2011]

@manofsan retarded comment on the year