Polite Society
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“There’s a Beauty to the Dark Feminine”: Nida Manzoor on Polite Society
The unbreakable bond of sisterhood threatens to be thwarted by a eugenic evil conspiracy in Polite Society, writer-director Nida Manzoor’s feature debut. The British filmmaker, who was raised in a Pakistani Muslim household, has encased vital aspects of her own life in each project she’s embarked on so far. Her Peacock/Channel 4 show We Are Lady Parts, which follows a punk band comprised entirely of Muslim women, incorporates her natural musical prowess through writing the show’s music with her siblings Shez and Sanya. Now with Polite Society, Manzoor reflects on another immutable aspect of her life: the chaos and camaraderie […]
by Natalia Keogan on Apr 28, 2023 -
“All of My Supporting Artists Were Testing Positive” | Nida Manzoor, Polite Society
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? At the beginning of the film there is a big school fight between Ria, the main character, and the school bully. I had always imagined it being set in this grand, round school library, filled with rabid teen girl spectators, creating a bloodthirsty gladiatorial image, a feeling of epic spectacle. When it came to the reality of filming, we were […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 29, 2023 -
“It’s All Love and Rage”: DP Ashley Connor on Polite Society
When Ria (Priya Kansara) finds out that her art school dropout sister Lena (Ritu Arya) is giving up her creative dreams to marry a wealthy man, she sense that an evil force is afoot. Using her amateur martial arts moves, Ria concocts a plan with some schoolmates to kidnap Lena from her own wedding. The feature debut from writer-director Nida Manzoor, Polite Society charts the physical and social struggles of being a teenage girl who no one will take seriously. Cinematographer Ashley Connor tells Filmmaker about how she came to work on the film and her immediate connection to the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 29, 2023 -
“Even the Biggest Fight Scene Was Ultimately About Character”: Editor Robbie Morrison on Polite Society
When Ria’s (Priya Kansara) big sister Lena (Ritu Arya) announces that she’s dropping out of art school and getting married, she immediately knows that something’s not right. As such, the London schoolgirl and aspiring martial artist recruits a couple of friends to save Lena from her own wedding before she moves to Singapore with her new beau. Robbie Morrison tells Filmmaker about cutting Polite Society, writer-director Nida Manzoor’s debut feature. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 29, 2023
