''The Survivor'' is a 2016 Pakistani-American documentary

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

written and directed by Danial Afzal, of ''Arash Visuals, Inc'', and produced by Shazia Sikandar and Kruti Mehta. The film follows the story of a boy named Muneeb who survived the Army Public School Massacre of 2014 in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Synopsis

The story follows Muhammad Muneeb Khan, who lost his brother, Shaheer, in a tragic incident that occurred in

on 16 December 2014. The

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

attacked the

Army Public School Army Public School may refer to: * Indian Army Public Schools * Army Public Schools & Colleges System Army Public Schools & Colleges System or APSACS is one of the largest educational institutions of Pakistan which provides education till inte ...

and killed over 130 children. This film is a look into the mind of Muneeb, who still suffers from

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

(PTSD) while attempting to find his purpose. The film's story is presented in the format of a personal statement for a college application. It also interviews his family members and Mowadat Rana, a psychiatrist and professor, who discusses the struggles of PTSD.

Screenings

''The Survivor'' premiered in 2016 in

Lahore, Pakistan Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

. During 2017, it was entered into the 16th

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Short Film Festival in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and the Ismailia International Film Festival in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. In 2018, ''The Survivor'' was screened at the 11th International Children's Rights Film Festival in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, and the 1st Pakistan International Film Festival in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Reception

Mehr Sher of ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'' was moved to tears at the screening, and found the film to be a "must-watch film for all those that have a conscience". Kruti Mehta of ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

'' wrote that the music made the documentary relatable to viewers, and thought that the director and producer effectively used the film as an actual

personal statement An admissions or application essay, sometimes also called a personal statement or a statement of purpose, is an essay or other written statement written by an applicant, often a prospective student applying to some college, university, or graduate ...

to promote Muneeb Khan to get scholarships and funding for college.

Awards

Home media

This film was released to the

iflix WeTV iflix, or simply iflix, is a Malaysian free and subscription video on demand (VOD) service focused on emerging markets. Its global headquarters are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The site serves as a digital hosting and distribution platform fo ...

streaming service in September 2018.

Gallery

Muneeb's Poster 02.jpg, Muneeb and his sisters being filmed by Danial Muneeb's Poster 03.jpg, Muneeb with his father Muneeb's Poster 04.jpg, Muneeb with sister, Tuba CSAFF Red Carpet 2.jpg, Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2017 - Red Carpet Red carpet 2 .png, Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2017 - Red Carpet CSAFF Screening 2017.jpg, Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2017 - Screening QA Panel.jpg, Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2017 - Q & A Panel Csaff press conference .jpg, Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2017 - Press Conference Piff 1 .png, Pakistan International Film Festival 2018 Piff2.png, Pakistan International Film Festival 2018

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Survivor 2016 Film Pakistani short documentary films Indian Army Public Schools Taliban