How To Wash The Dead

  • Director

    Asad Kirmani

  • Country, Year, Length

    United States, 2021, 16 minutes 16 seconds

  • Category

    Narrative Short

  • Format

    Digital

  • Festival Year

    2022

Film Screening & Ticket Information

When & Where to See this Film!

STREAM THIS FILM DURING OUR

VIRTUAL FILM FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 4!

Purchase Tickets to Stream on FilmFestivalFlix.com

In Person Date, Time & Location:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH • 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
KAS Zukor • 35th St. • Long Island City, NY 11106

SCREENING BLOCK:

WTF? (What The Film?): Six films that are full of surprises.

Films:

Synopsis

Saif is young, angry, Muslim, American. Vulnerable after his father’s death, and enthralled by online extremist content, he drags himself and his brother into the depths of misplaced vengeance. He is forced to deal with the devastating aftermath.

Credits

  • Asad Kirmani, Director
  • Asad Kirmani, Writer
  • Asad Kirmani, Producer
  • Irfan Hydari, Producer
  • Paul Galvan, Producer
  • Sanjay Rao, Key Cast, “Saif”
  • Ed Lilli, Key Cast, “Zulfy”
  • Rana Haddad, Key Cast, “Mother”
  • Ollia Adams, Key Cast, “Ash”
  • Philippe Auguste, Key Cast, “Bilal”
  • Shuja Uddin, Key Cast, “Aqib”
  • Amanda Blake, Key Cast, “Girl”

Director Statement

According to a recent study published by Politifact, of the 85 terrorist acts committed on American soil from Sept 12th, 2001 through December 31st, 2016, nearly three-quarters were carried out by right-wing extremists. This only accelerated during the Trump era – one need look no further than the events of January 6th, 2021. It bears mentioning these are predominately white, Christian men and women who are often given sympathetic portrayals in the media. It is a different story when the suspect is a Muslim, however. Saif, the (anti)hero of “How to Wash the Dead,” is driven to extreme violence by a manipulation and distortion of his faith. The purpose of the film is to contextualize and humanize some of the dark swirling undercurrents in the psyche of a “would-be” terrorist. This film invites the viewer not to excuse nor endorse, but to empathize – to find the human being behind the headline.

Director Biography

ASAD KIRMANI is a Writer/Director and a practicing psychiatrist in Austin, TX. While in medical school he produced and directed a film, “All the Wrong Reasons,” a full-length comedy feature about a hapless young medical student. While doing his psychiatric residency in New York City he produced and directed “Curing Gender,” a documentary about the history of psychiatry and transsexuality that has been used educationally by a number of hospitals and institutions across the country. He has written and directed three short films, “Stress Freud,” “Pornistan,” and “Hijabi.”