'My Pure Land' has been announced as Britain’s selection for submission to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for an Academy Award in the category of Foreign Language Film . 

The submission is the first time an Urdu-language film is Britain’s selection for the award. My Pure Land will be released in UK cinemas on Friday.


British-Pakistani director Sarmad Masud first envisioned his debut when he heard of the true story of a group of young women who survived a siege on their home by relatives in rural Pakistan, culminating in them having to defend their land from a militia of 200 bandits.

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Their feat was almost unheard of and they were swiftly elevated to the position of folk heroes.

When Sarmad heard their story he instantly knew this was the film he needed to make as his debut – a violent contemporary Western but grounded in realism and crucially with a feminist theme.
 
Sarmad Masud’s short film, Two Dosas, funded by Film London was voted best film in their London Calling Plus category, judged by David Yates. 

The film was long listed for both a BAFTA and an Oscar as well as numerous festival awards. Sarmad also wrote and directed Adha Cup, the first Urdu language drama commissioned by Channel Four and went on to develop it as a six part TV series with the BBC. 
 
My Pure Land is produced by Bill Kenwright, whose recent releases include Another Mother’s Son, Cheri (Stephen Frears), and Broken (Rufus Norris) which won the Best British Independent Movie at the BIFAS in 2013.
 
The film stars Suhaee Abro, Eman Malik, Syed Tanveer-Hussain, Razia Malik, Atif Akhtar Bhatti, Tayyab Azfal, Ahsen Murad and is released in UK cinemas on Friday 15 September 2017.