Salam Shalom

"Salam Shalom" explores the largely untold history of the Jewish community in Pakistan. Told through the personal stories of Hazel Selzer Kahan, 85, now living in Long Island, NY, and Emanuel Matat, 62, now residing in Tel Aviv, Israel, the film revisits a time when Pakistan was their home. Despite leaving the country decades ago, their connection to it endures. The documentary explores the complexities and joys of growing up Jewish in Muslim-majority Pakistan, examining themes of identity, belonging, and the meaning of home.

  • Hina Ali
    Director
    Preconceived, Among the Believers, InshaAllah Democracy
  • Hina Ali
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Urdu
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Hina Ali

Hina Ali’s previous editing and producing credits include the Emmy-nominated feature documentary Among the Believers (Tribeca 2015, PBS), Unladylike2020: The Changemakers (PBS), and Insha’Allah Democracy (DOC NYC Fest 2017, Amazon Prime).

Ali has edited and produced films and shows for PBS, BBC, Vice, Discovery+, Amazon Prime, Starz, Hulu, Cheddar, Magnolia Network, Dawn News, and Aaj News. Her films have been screened at over fifty film festivals in over thirty countries. This includes IDFA, Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, CPH:DOX, Documentary Edge Festival, and Vancouver International Film Festival.

She has served as a juror for the Emmys and IDA Awards.

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Director Statement

I am a thirty-eight-year-old Pakistani documentary filmmaker living in Brooklyn. Whether it's my immigration status, my identity as a modern Muslim woman, or my love for my parents, I'm constantly measured against my surroundings as the world expands in its vast indifference to my trials and tribulations. Standing at a mere five feet tall, I may be small, but I refuse to be insignificant. This sense of struggle is the essence of my films. I contrast individual stories of love, vulnerability, and resilience with global events, faceless bureaucracies, and the unforgiving identities we are forced to carry in the name of our faiths, races, and nationalities.