Monument of Arrival and Return

Technological innovation often leads to social change, sometimes with existential implications. The construction of the railway network on the Indian subcontinent created a new class of workers the porters and luggage carriers (locally referred to as "coolies" in keeping with the British colonial expression), identifiable by their orange uniforms with number sewn on their backs. They carry baggage and help travelers on their way, but never go anywhere themselves. They are neither the initiators of the journey, nor its final purpose, but the ultimate intermediary. In making Monument of Arrival and Return, director Basir Mahmood attempted to withdraw from actual directing, instead positioning himself as a dramaturge setting up a scene in which coolies from the railway station in Lahore, Pakistan engage and improvise with a set of his own personal belongings. He remotely produced the film with a local crew, who received a series of sketches and narrative instructions while he himself remained far away from the actual shoot. Afterwards Mahmood received the footage as a "delivery package" to carry out the editing process.