HunDan is based on a Burushaski folk tale from Hunza Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The film tells the story of a community rethinking its relationship with the natural world. Shot in the mountains of Hunza and Nagar, the film draws on stories still told by elders today.
The film asks what communities owe to the land, and what is lost if these languages and stories disappear. In HunDan, the natural landscape is an integral part of the story, shaping the lives, identities, and traditions of the people who call these mountains home.
After the screening, Rizwan Karim, Oral History Coordinator at IIS, will be in conversation with Karamat Ali to discuss the folk stories and oral traditions behind HunDan, and the challenges of filming in Burushaski. The conversation will also explore why preserving Burusho Indigenous knowledge, language and stories is essential for future generations.
This event is part of IIS’s Oral History Project. The project records, preserves, and shares the living heritage of Ismaili and related communities across different regions and languages.
About the film
HunDan: An Echo of a Dirge follows a man who leaves his pregnant wife to hunt an ibex. What unfolds is a journey across the Karakoram landscape. The film is also a reckoning with what is lost when nature’s balance is ignored. The title, HunDan, means ‘wood and stone’ in Burushaski, reflecting the central place of nature as the film and its relationship with the people who inhabit this landscape.
Filmed with members of the Burusho community in Hunza, the film is also an act of memory. UNESCO classifies Burushaski as an definitely endangered language, sustained almost entirely through oral transmission. The film was selected as Pakistan’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards.
About the filmmaker
Karamat Ali is a filmmaker, writer and producer from Altit, Hunza, in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. He is the writer, director and producer of HunDan. In 2026, HunDan was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and Karamat Ali attended the Venice Biennale, a year of growing international recognition for the film and its maker.
5.00 pm Doors Open
5.00–5.10 pm Arrival and Seating
5.10 pm Welcome and Opening Remarks, Professor Zayn Kassam, Director of IIS
5.15 pm Screening of HunDan: An Echo of a Dirge (~ 45 minutes)
6.00–6.15 pm In Conversation: Karamat Ali with Rizwan Karim
