Wakhri

In this brash, eye-popping, queer-friendly drama inspired by a true story, a put-upon widow and schoolteacher adopts a pseudonymous online persona in her desires to speak truth to Pakistani patriarchal power, only to become a viral sensation and a political figure that upsets the status quo.WAKHRI is a daring story of sudden fame and societal subversion that follows Noor, a grade school teacher and mother in Pakistan. Throughout her days, she faces an uphill climb against resistance to women’s rights, from fighting for funding for her female pupils to the overstepping parents of her dead husband who wish for sway over Noor’s son. One night these pressures come to a head and Noor impulsively lets loose her uncensored thoughts on her patriarchal society under the guise of a newly formed alter ego, Wakhri. Overnight, Wakhri becomes a viral sensation. But with this fame comes further unexpected obstacles—and danger. Inspired by the murder of Pakistani influencer Qandeel Baloch, WAKHRI infuses outrage with visual flair in telling a timely story of the power of a woman speaking her truth. —C.F.