Kachrachi [Pre-Feature Short]
Kachrachi is a satirical short film, which touches upon certain malign elements that are turning a once vibrant and dynamic metropolitan into a lackluster and callous city where most people are surviving rather than living a quality life.
The title “Kachrachi” is a combination of the Urdu word for trash (Kachra) and the city Karachi. In the film, the protagonist is a reflection of Karachi, in the form of a mad man, who is addressing its people in general and reprimanding them for their negligence, lack of civic sense and the way the city is being mistreated with blatant disregard towards humanity, cleanliness, education and other basic necessities that contribute towards a quality of life.
The film raises a question on all state of affairs concerning Karachi. From political corruption to misleading media and to the common people and their negative attitude towards the city. They all say they own Karachi and yet their actions speak otherwise.
Kachrachi is meant to be a wakeup call for the people of Karachi to bring change in their lives, in their thinking and to work towards being a civilized nation. It raises awareness of civic sense, and implores the people to follow law and order and stop trashing the very place that they call home.
Own Karachi as you mean it, and treat it like it’s your own home. That are the echoes of the orphan city, Kachrachi.
Director
Ali Mehdi is a Director, Screenwriter, and Producer from Pakistan. Born in Karachi in Dec 1978, Mehdi graduated BBA in advertising and completed his Post Graduate in film studies from London College of Music & Media – Thames Valley University in 2006
In his early career, he’s worked in advertising as a concept writer & account executive and has worked with leading industry professionals in commercial direction; he has done a number of Ad films for major brands in Pakistan. He has also assisted Amina Khan and Jamshed Raza (Jami) as an Assistant Director to hone his skills in the art of film-making.
Mehdi moved to UAE in 2010, where has been involved in the production of TV commercials and has also produced and directed content for a digital video production for an online car review portal motopedia in UAE.
His passion for creating film and his love for cinema saw him moving back to Pakistan to take part in the developing local cinema movement. His most current work has been an independent short film in Pakistan. His recent venture into film-making has directed his ambitions into creating full feature-length films in the Pakistani industry and subsequently in other regional industries to produce quality, thought-proving content by way of film.
Mehdi is married and currently living in Pakistan where he is pursuing his film-making career.
Festivals/Awards
IFFSA Toronto, Pune Short Film Festival, Washington DC South Asian Film Festival