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More Punk Than Punk

Aki Nawaz founded Southern Death Cult and Fun-Da-Mental, spending decades navigating his identity as a Pakistani punk artist. His music has always fused the personal with the political — but in 2006, he channels this into his most controversial album yet, with All Is War – The Benefits of G-Had - a raw, furious response to post-9/11 Islamophobia in Britain.

  • Azeem Rajulawalla
    Director
  • Azeem Rajulawalla
    Producer
  • Thomas Sheriff
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 21 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    9,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.33:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Aesthetica Short Film Festival
    York
    United Kingdom
    November 5, 2025
    UK Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Doc'n Roll Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 3, 2025
    London Premiere
  • Rio Forever
    London
    United Kingdom
    April 18, 2026
    Selected as part of the Rio Forever festival at the Rio Cinema to celebrate its 50th Anniversary
  • Folkestone Film Festival
    Folkestone
    United Kingdom
    April 26, 2026
    Award Winner - Best Long Short Documentary
  • Dharamshala International Film Festival
    Dharamshala
    India
    November 1, 2025
    India Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Portobello Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 4, 2025
  • Kitab Ghar
    Karachi
    Pakistan
    December 27, 2025
    Pakistan Premiere
  • Kitab Ghar
    Lahore
    Pakistan
    December 27, 2025
    Pakistan Premiere
Director Biography - Azeem Rajulawalla

Azeem Rajulawalla is a UK-based filmmaker and has worked in documentary film and television since 2020. His credits include a range of projects from archive-based films directed by Academy Award-winners Asif Kapadia and Kevin MacDonald to the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are and Channel 4’s 24 Hours in A&E. Making this film has been a passion project since 2022 and he hopes it will open up discussions about art, identity and dissent.

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Director Statement

Captivated by his music with Fun-Da-Mental and energised by his activism, I very quickly found Aki Nawaz to be an utterly unique character whose struggles tapped into the personal and the political. Through the years-long process of making this film alongside my collaborator, Thomas Sheriff, we have channelled Aki's punk ethos as we tell the story of a British Muslim from Bradford who refuses to compromise his art for anyone. This film speaks to a number of prevalent issues that have become more urgent than ever, and I hope that Aki's story can be a guiding light for those who wish to protest against injustice.