Directed by: Saodat Ismailova
Runtime: 88 minutes
Country: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Netherlands, Germany, France
Language: Uzbek with English subtitles
Rating: PG13 (Some disturbing scenes)

The short film The Haunted (2017) is intended to be watched as a double bill along with the film 40 Days of Silence (2014).

Burdened by the weight of her past deeds, a young woman, Bibicha, retreats to her grandmother’s house in rural Uzbekistan and undertakes a 40-day vow of silence as atonement. She lives with three women from three different generations, each embodying their own secrets and struggles. Told largely through meditative static shots and sparse dialogue, artist-filmmaker Saodat Ismailova presents a domestic matriarchal space devoid of men, who only live as shadows and distant memories.

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The short film The Haunted is available for rent together with 40 Days of Silence via Vimeo On Demand at USD$3.50 from 19 June to 16 July 2020. Please click on the “Book Now” button which will redirect you to Vimeo. Upon purchase, the film will be available to you for 48 hours. 

Due to the closure of cinemas following the COVID-19 pandemic, Whose House Is This? : New Cinema of Central Asia is the first programme from the Asian Film Archive that will be presented entirely online, as part of the newly-launched series “Rewired”. 

* The programme line-up is correct at the time of publishing. Any changes will be updated and reflected.
* All prices are in US Dollars.
* Films are region-restricted and limited to Singapore and/or Southeast Asia depending on the film.