October 15: Polite Society

This week’s film is Polite Society, directed by Nida Manzoor.

Martial artist-in-training Ria Khan believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting her friends' help, she attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.

Described as a “martial arts extravaganza, a bizarre coming-of-age story, and a black horror fantasy” all in one (AFR), Polite Society premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and received critical acclaim. It was noted to have a similar theme to Manzoor’s award winning sitcom, We Are Lady Parts, which follows a British punk rock band composed of only Muslim women.

"[Polite Society] came from my love of action movies growing up as a teenager, but never getting to see myself in any of them … We don't usually see Muslim women playing music and being funny, and we certainly don't see South Asian teenage girls leading action movies.” –Nida Manzoor

Manzoor said her influences for Polite Society came from a variety of directors like Quentin Tarantino and Yuen Woo-ping; Bollywood and spaghetti western films– even the 1998 buddy action film Rush Hour. In an interview with EW, she said Jackie Chan films were one of the most important sources for inspiration when writing.

If you’re a member of the IFS, you can catch Polite Society this Sunday, 15 October at 7pm at the Gala!

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