A photography exhibition, including stills and screenings of Beggars of Lahore - a documentary film by  University of Birmingham research student, Sheba Saeed, will be taking place 31 October – 6 November, at the Sauce Gallery, Custard Factory in Birmingham.

Beggars of Lahore is a journey into the streets of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city to discover the reasons for begging and what measures have been put in place to help the beggars.

It examines the political, social, religious, economic reasons for begging as well as the growth of the ‘beggars’ mafia’. Beggars of Lahore also features interviews of cricketer/politician Imran Khan, human rights activist Hina Jilani, and former Chief Minister of Punjab, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.

The documentary was part of Sheba’s audio-visual dissertation for her MPhil in History, Film and Television and it has been screened at international film festivals.

Sheba, a solicitor by profession is currently researching the reasons for begging in Mumbai, India. She can be contacted at: sheba1saeed@hotmail.com

Ends

For further information, contact: Anietie Isong, International Press Officer, University of Birmingham. Tel: 01214147863. E-mail: a.isong@bham.ac.uk