The open spaces in the Pakistani villages were packed. People were sitting in trees and on rooftops. In a nation that barely has a film industry, director Sabiha Sumar’s travelling cinema was both a novelty and a flashpoint.

What Sumar showed in 41 villages throughout Pakistan earlier this year was her new feature film Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters), which depicts how religious fundamentalism — in this case, both Muslim and Sikh — can destroy families.