From Pasadena To Pakistan, The USC Asia Pacific Museum Brings A Far Away Land To The Silver Screen

Pasadena’s famed USC Pacific Asia Museum is still as vibrant as ever despite being closed since last summer for architectural renovation as it gears up to present two special film screenings this month that bring the foreign world of Pakistan to the public.

The museum’s own Pakistan Arts Council is behind the cultural festivities that aim to educate people about the country and its culture through various art forms such as these select films that offer an eye opening stories about the truths and myths that surround a culture that aren’t always accessible to an American audience.

Through song, dance, art exhibits and more, the Council acts as both the largest and oldest Pakistani organization in California.

“We’re really proud of the diverse kind of events that we showcase. We want to be not a label, but to be recognized as people that are apart of the community. We want to be all of us together in this journey through the arts, which I find is the best way to change opinions and hearts and thoughts more than ever,” said Pakistan Arts Council of USC Pacific Asia Museum President Ayesha Kamran.

The Pakistan Arts Council was founded in 1990 with the vision and mission to bring about a better understanding of Pakistan by showcasing its rich heritage and culture through the arts.

The PAC has presented art exhibitions from traditional to contemporary, author and book talks on current state of affairs to the history of Pakistan, produced live performances of Qawwali and Storytelling and showcased Pakistan’s Haute Couture.

“The Pakistani community in Pasadena is small, but there is a lot of action in Pasadena because we’re lucky to have the USC Pacific Asia Museum and the Arts Council which is the only organization of its kind in the L.A. area. Because of that we tend to have more Pakistan related events happen in Pasadena. We are the beneficiaries of the energies of the Pakistani community of the area,” said Pakistan Arts Council Treasurer and Pasadena resident Kishwar Jaffer.

With the support of USC PAM, the PAC has brought artists of Pakistani heritage from around the world, from the renowned National College of Arts in Lahore, the United Kingdom, from the rural Tharparker to urban Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan.

This month of events will feature two special screenings made by Pakistani filmmakers that touch on contemporary Pakistani life and bring insight into the culture of Pakistan today.

“We feel that a movie screening is the easiest way to get a conversation going,” said Kamran.

Thursday’s featured film is “Among the Believers” which is about an unsettling and eye opening exploration into the spread of the radical Islamic school Red Mosque in Pakistan, which trains legions of children to devote their lives to jihad, or holy war, from a very young age, according to a press release.

“The two movies we will be showing this month are quite intense. We have others that we are working on that show a softer, more gentle and artistic side of Pakistan, but the point of the one movie we are showing next is to make people realize that we are fighting the same battle and terrors and we are ground zero, sadly,” said Kamran.

This battle Kamran referred to falls in line with the misconceptions Americans and other western nations commonly associate with Islam, often times associating the religion with the complexities of what the world has come to know as radical Islam.

Those ideas and faiths are two different things, according to Kamran, and are not at all related.

“This is not Islam — this is terrorist stuff,” said Kamran about the misconception that radical Islam represents the entirety of practicing muslim culture in Pakistan and beyond.

“Calling them Muslim and hijacking our religion is devastating and heart wrenching especially in this climate. This movie is intense and I hope the take-away is that not all Muslims are like that and that we are fighting this battle everyday in Pakistan and globally,” explained Kamran.

Selecting content to present to the public, such as the upcoming films, are decisions that the Council carefully curates for the public.

“We do struggle with what side of Pakistan should people be seeing, but I feel like we have to look within and we have to show the good with the bad. We try to balance our events. These movies happen to be intense and not necessarily positive in certain ways, but this is just a small number of things that we are doing. We think the conversation is worthwhile and that the take home is worthwhile. We hope that everyone understands where we are coming from,” explained Kamran.

Future screenings will include exclusive Q&A sessions with the film directors in person.

The USC Pacific Asia Museum is one of only four institutions in the US dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asia and Pacific Islands.

Constructed in 1924 on the corner of Los Robles Avenue and Union Street, the historic building that is home to the USC Pacific Asia Museum (USC PAM) will undergo a renovation to strengthen its foundation, as well as add approximately 700 square-feet of gallery space.

The Museum has been closed to the public since July 1, 2016 and is expected to reopen in late 2017.

The iconic venue was constructed in 1924 by pioneering collector and entrepreneur Grace Nicholson as her residence, galleries, and Treasure House/emporium. The building, a California State Historical Landmark and on the National Registry of Historical Places, follows the Imperial Palace courtyard style used in the construction of major buildings in Beijing, China.

Nicholson ensured every detail was correct by having the roof tiles, stone and marble carvings, and bronze and copper work imported directly from China, or faithfully executed by Pasadena-area craftsmen, following plans and photographs of authentic Chinese examples.

In 1943 Nicholson donated the building to the City of Pasadena for art and cultural purposes, with the stipulation that she would retain her private rooms until her death. She shared the building with the Pasadena Art Institute until she passed away in 1948. In 1954, the Pasadena Art Institute changed its name to the Pasadena Art Museum and occupied the building until 1970, when it moved to its new location at Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevards and became the Norton Simon Museum.

During the impending closure, the Museum will present a slate of programs throughout the community such as the events put on by the Pakistan Arts Council as well as a satellite exhibition at USC.

The film screening for “Among the Believers” will take place Thursday night from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pasadena Public Library located at 285 E. Walnut Street.

The film is directed by Mohammed Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi.

To RSVP to the free event, go to http://bit.ly/2o4weLG.

For more information about the Pakistani Arts Council, visit https://www.facebook.com/PakistanArtsCouncil/

To learn more about the film, visit http://www.amongthebelieversfilm.com/