Signature Move

Signature Move
Signature Move
	سیگنیچر موو
Directed by	Jennifer Reeder
Written by	Fawzia Mirza; Lisa Donato
Produced by	Brian Hieggelke; Fawzia Mirza; Eugene Sun Park
Starring	Fawzia Mirza; Shabana Azmi; Sari Sanchez; Audrey Francis; Charin Alvarez;
Cinematography	Christopher Rejano
Release date	March 11, 2017 (SXSW);
Country	United States
Languages	English; Urdu; Spanish

Signature Move is a 2017 American indie comedy-drama film directed by Jennifer Reeder and co-written and produced by Fawzia Mirza about a Pakistani Muslim lesbian living in Chicago with her mother.^[1] Fawzia Mirza also introduced herself as a lesbian on Twitter before the film was announced.^[2] The film premiered at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival.

Premise[]

Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza), a thirty-something Pakistani, Muslim, lesbian in Chicago takes care of her TV-obsessed mother Parveen (Shabana Azmi). As Zaynab falls for Alma (Sari Sanchez), a bold and very bright Mexican woman, she searches for her identity in life, love and wrestling.

Cast[]

Fawzia Mirza as Zaynab
Shabana Azmi as Parveen
Sari Sanchez as Alma
Audrey Francis as Jayde
Charin Alvarez as Rosa
Mark Hood as Milo
Molly Brennan as Killian
Minita Gandhi as Hina
Mia Park as Bookstore Customer
The scholar Kareem Khubchandani has a cameo as a man outside on whom Parveen spies.

Production[]

Casting[]

Fawzia Mirza approached Shabana Azmi in Chicago when she was there to work in a play. She signed her to play the role in the film. The film features Fawzia Mirza as a Muslim lesbian and Shabana Azmi as her mother. The cast also includes Sari Sanchez, Audrey Francis and Charin Alvarez.^[3]

Filming[]

Shabana Azmi moved to Chicago in early August 2016. Fawzia posted a selfie with Azmi on Instagram and announced that they have started the shooting of the film.^[4]^[5]

Awards[]


Year	Award	Category	Result
2017	Cleveland International Film Festival	Best American Independent Feature Film	Nominated
	FilmOut San Diego	Audience Award - Best Actress (Fawzia Mirza)	Won
	FilmOut San Diego	Festival Award - Best Director (Jennifer Reeder)	Won
	Iris Prize Festival	Best Actress (Fawzia Mirza)	Won
	L.A. Outfest	Grand Jury Award - Outstanding American Narrative Feature	Won
	Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival	Best Feature Film	Won
	Nashville Film Festival	Bridgestone Narrative Feature Competition	Nominated
	QCinema International Film Festival	Best Picture - RainbowQC Competition	Won
	SXSW Film Festival	SXSW Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award (Jennifer Reeder)	Nominated
	SXSW Film Festival	SXSW Gamechanger Award (Jennifer Reeder)	Nominated

References[]

^ K Jha, Subhash (15 August 2016). "Shabana Azmi's next? A lesbian film!". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
^ "Shabana Azmi signs Pakistani filmmaker's lesbian drama". The Express Tribune. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
^ Gandhi, Lakshmi (30 August 2016). "Love, Family, Pro Wrestling Enter the Ring in 'Signature Move'". NBC News. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
^ "Breaking barriers: Shabana Azmi signs Pakistani writer's film". The Express Tribune. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
^ ""Signature Move" Feature Film Shoots in Chicago with Shabana Azmi". SKJ Bollywood News. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

External links[]

[1] K Jha, Subhash (15 August 2016). "Shabana Azmi's next? A lesbian film!". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

[2] "Shabana Azmi signs Pakistani filmmaker's lesbian drama". The Express Tribune. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

[3] Gandhi, Lakshmi (30 August 2016). "Love, Family, Pro Wrestling Enter the Ring in 'Signature Move'". NBC News. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

[4] "Breaking barriers: Shabana Azmi signs Pakistani writer's film". The Express Tribune. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

[5] ""Signature Move" Feature Film Shoots in Chicago with Shabana Azmi". SKJ Bollywood News. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

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