'Land of My Dreams' Review

I did not expect that, on a particularly sunny afternoon tucked away in the Arts Building, I would be so profoundly moved by a film innocently titled, Land of My Dreams.

Director Nausheen Khan documents the harrowing protests following India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019, which disproportionately discriminated against the Muslim population. Amongst the violent riots, her film focuses on the powerful, peaceful resistance led by Muslim women in Shaheen Bagh, a neighbourhood of Delhi. Khan lends an ear to the voices of these women and a camera to capture their stories of resilience and strength as they organised a hundred-day sit-in to confront institutional oppression and redefine Indian nationalism.

A Muslim woman herself, Khan grapples with her own identity and sense of belonging. During a Q&A session following the screening, she recounted a personal anecdote about a long-time friend who had blocked her on social media due to her public activism. Reflecting on this event, she jokingly exclaimed, "Why did it bother me so much?" But this prompted a much deeper conversation about societal divides and personal relationships. Throughout the film, Khan makes herself immensely vulnerable for our benefit as she offers a profound reflection on activism, identity, and patriotism in contemporary India.

Her intimate lens and stream-of-consciousness interjections from her own writings made the viewing experience of the film deeply personal. It wasn’t another clinical documentary but just a woman and her camera, surrounded by very real people fighting for their right to exist. If I was to characterise the film in one word, it would be “human.” Many scenes were from the heart of riots, Khan’s camera often hit and battered in the process of filming. But when asked if she was at all afraid while filming, if it felt high risk, she quite simply replied, “It was just what everyone else was doing.” And though as onlookers, the majority of us come from different backgrounds, Khan skilfully crafts this into a shared experience.

The Indian Citizenship Amendment Act unleashed uproar across India. Looking up the riots, you are met with headlines like, ‘Dark day’: India on edge, Gunman fires at anti-CAA protest rally in Delhi or Citizenship Act protests: Three dead and thousands held in India, accompanied by images of violence and anarchy. But Khan’s film offers an entirely different perspective, one of love and peaceful protest. Though the film captures truly harrowing scenes, it also depicts the joy of collective human hope. People dancing and singing, and one particular interview with a young boy inspired a cacophony of laughter out of an otherwise deeply entranced audience. In another interview, when asked why she protests the act, one woman very succinctly answers, “Why would we leave India? We are Indian.” 

The film has been screened worldwide, from Japan to Germany to Canada, and has had great success with international audiences. We were lucky enough to have a private screening of the film here in St Andrews as a part of Q Manivannan’s EDI-funded South Asian Stories project. The film has garnered numerous accolades including Best Long Documentary at the fifteenth International Documentary & Short Film Festival in Kerala, India as well as the Citizen’s Prize at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in Japan. In a volatile world so plagued by hate and violence, Khan’s film is a beacon of hope. I wish I could share more of the film, but if you ever have the opportunity to watch it, I urge you to do so — Khan’s work is nothing short of monumental.