“I wanted to know as the director how the actors wanted to tell this story I wanted to know what they thought.” Quote by Paul Bettany
“When the film and music industries declined in the wake of increasingly conservative Muslim laws and social customs in Pakistan, many of these musicians found themselves out of work. They were brought together at Sachal Studios by Izzat Majeed, who built the studio in order to preserve these musical traditions.” TogetherFilmLawOrderFoundSocialIndustryMusicianBuiltTraditionMusicalConservativeStudiosPreservesCustomsPakistanMusic IndustryFilm And Music Author:Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“I learned so much about myself from reading this script and doing this movie [Shelter] because the level of judgment and the lack of humanity I saw in myself was disgusting. I never took into account what a homeless person might have been through.” PersonsHas BeensMightHumanityReadingLevelsSawsJudgmentAccountsScriptsDisgustingShelterHomelessMight Have Been Author:Paul Bettany
“Despite their rising international acclaim, Sachal Studios remains virtually unknown in Pakistan. The ensemble is faced with a daunting task: to reclaim and reinvigorate an art that has lost its space in Pakistan's narrowing cultural sphere.” ArtLostSpaceTasksRemainsInternationalStudiosDespiteRisingSpheresPakistanEnsembleAcclaimDaunting Tasks Author:Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“I realized that this story [Shelter] is all about family, family loss, and how it influences you day to day life.” StoriesLossInfluenceI RealizedShelterDay To DayAbout FamilyDay LifeDay To Day Life Author:Paul Bettany
“There were a lot of unique challenges in producing the film, such as the logistical issues inherent in producing a long-term verite film in Pakistan, dealing with Urdu and Punjabi dialogue with an English-speaking editor and all the difficulties in recording, editing and clearing so many music tracks.” LongFilmTermChallengesIssuesUniqueDifficultyTrackDialogueLong TermEditorsInherentEditingPakistanClearingEnglish SpeakingUrduPunjabis Author:Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“I never really took into account the number of homeless families. As a kid, we used to feed the hungry at my church every other Saturday, and one day this kid from my school was there. Somewhere between that moment of realization and appreciation for what my Dad sacrificed for us to have, and me becoming "Anthony Mackie" I lost it. This movie [Shelter] really made me realize that, and it was very humbling and very sickening to see that within myself.” MadeMomentsKidsSchoolUsedLostRealizingChurchNumbersBecomingDadOne DayAccountsMy DadAppreciationHungryRealizationThat MomentShelterHomelessSaturdayHumbling Author:Paul Bettany
“But the biggest challenge overall was narrowing down the complex narrative elements into a clean and straightforward story while maintaining a sense of the cultural context that makes the film special.” StoriesFilmChallengesSpecialElementsCleanComplexesNarrativeMaintainingStraightforward Author:Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“It's so hard to keep perspective and keep things in context, and it's so easy to get distracted. This film [Shelter] reminded me how important it is to remain aware, and to keep seeing the things that are happening around the world.” WorldImportantHardFilmEasySeeingPerspectiveHappeningsAround The WorldShelterDistractedEasy To Get Author:Jennifer Connelly
“We're blessed to be worrying about the silly things that we worry about when people are worrying about where they are going to sleep, and what they are going to feed their kids every day.” PeopleKidsSleepWorryBlessedSillyGoing To SleepSilly Things Author:Jennifer Connelly
“Half of NYC's homeless populations are families.Homeless people have been ignored for too long. I'll just say this: If you are a family on the brink of eviction you are 80% less likely to get evicted if you have legal counsel. However, there is no right to legal counsel in housing court.It would cost the city $12,500 to grant that family legal counsel. Meanwhile, the average stay for a homeless family in a shelter once they have been evicted cost the city $45,000. So not only does it seem like the right thing to do morally, it's also the right thing to do fiscally.” PeopleIfsLongDoeHas BeensSeemsCitiesHalfCostCourtAveragePopulationThings To DoRight ThingGrantsShelterIgnoredHomelessHousingNycHomeless PeopleEviction Author:Paul Bettany