The Line of Freedom

2013 British film

The Line of Freedom

Film poster

Directed by| David Whitney
Written by| David Whitney
Produced by| Aly Doshambe
Bhawal Mengal
Noordin Mengal
Waqqas Qadir Sheikh
David Whitney
Starring| Antonio Aakeel
Mansoor Alfeeli
Fatima Al Taei
Tony Hasnath
Omar Malik
Nitin Mirani
Omar Bin Haider
Ibrahim Renno
Cinematography| Russell Nabb
Edited by| Emma Collins
Music by| Neil Haggerty

Production
company

DWF Films

Release date

* 22 November 2013 (2013-11-22)

Running time

| 93 minutes[1]
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

The Line of Freedom is a 2013 political drama film directed and produced by David Whitney and starring Antonio Aakeel. The film had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2013.[2] It was instantly banned in Pakistan due to the controversial depiction of its security forces and subsequently contributed to a national ban of the Internet Movie Database.[3][4] The film has sparked a backlash from some titling it "anti-state propaganda" and resulted in its star Antonio Aakeel, and others who had helped in the production allegedly receiving death threats.[5]

The film depicts the kidnapping of an activist by the Pakistani Army, his subsequent torture at their hands, and a failed attempt at executing in a desert location.

## Plot

[edit]

The film follows the true story of Nasir Baloch, a young student rights activist murdered by the Pakistani Army in 2011 as part of their 'kill and dump' policy in Balochistan, southwest Pakistan.[6] Nasir Baloch is abducted and tortured by his country's security forces. Days later, he is shot and left for dead in the desert, but incredibly survives to tell his story.

## Cast

[edit]

* Antonio Aakeel as Nasir Baloch
* Mansoor Alfeeli as Pervez
* Tony Hasnath as Rasool
* Fatima Al Taei as Hani
* Omar Malik as Gul
* Nitin Mirani as Private Sajjad
* Omar Bin Haider as Private Malik
* Ibrahim Renno Private Amjad
* Yousuf Murad Baloch as doctor

## Production

[edit]

The Line of Freedom was developed by DWF productions with UNPO human rights ambassadors Noordin Mengal and Bhawal Mengal. The film was shot in September 2012 at an undisclosed location somewhere in the Middle East.[7]

## Release

[edit]

A short version of the feature was released online in 2013.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Just released - The Line of Freedom". Time Out Dubai. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
2. ^ "DIFF - The Line of Freedom". Retrieved 19 March 2017.
3. ^ "The Line of Freedom And The Brief IMDb ban in Pakistan". Global Voices. December 2013.
4. ^ "Line of Freedom Banned". Retrieved 19 March 2017.
5. ^ "Where Is The Mainstream Coverage Of The Crisis In Balochistan?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
6. ^ "UNPO - Kill and dump policy". UNPO. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
7. ^ "The Line of Freedom". Retrieved 19 March 2017.
8. ^ "The Line of Freedom - Short". Youtube. Retrieved 19 March 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* The Line of Freedom at IMDb