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Logline

A struggling writer estranged from his dysfunctional Pakistani American family comes home to make amends, reigniting old wounds over his past betrayals, addiction, and his novel, “loosely” inspired by their lives.

Synopsis

After Sabahat’s health takes a turn for the worse, her daughters Tasneem (the under-appreciated caretaker) and Zeba (the queer Brooklyn poet) put their lives on pause to care for her in their Long Island home. As a hurricane strikes the house, Shamim, the absentee brother and famous writer, reappears to make amends. Tasneem refuses to fall for it but Zeba, seeing what it would mean to their mother, decides to give her brother another chance. But soon, buried secrets and Shamim’s true intentions come to light, threatening all chances of reunion.

Like a home video, the camera captures the highs and lows of a South Asian American family recovering from years of
addiction, estrangement and intergenerational trauma.

Blending realism and melodrama, The Long Jazeera is a dramedy about a family putting back the missing pieces.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Saleem Nasir Gondal — Writer/Director
Saleem Nasir Gondal (he/him) is a hard-of-hearing Pakistani American filmmaker. Born in Long Island, based in New York, his work explores themes of language and intimacy in BIPOC communities onscreen.

Saleem’s work has been supported by The Black List, The National Board of Review, The Gotham, Pillars Fund, Tasveer, MPAC Hollywood Bureau and the Disability Belongs Entertainment Lab. Saleem’s short film Super Sonic has screened in five different countries, including the Austin Film Festival, TIDE Film Festival and the Asian American International Film Festival. Saleem’s short Post Term is a winner of the Focus Features | JetBlue Short Film Showcase and has been screened at CAAMFest, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, International South Asian Film Festival of Canada, Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), and more.

He has a BFA from NYU Tisch and MFA from Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema Brooklyn College.

Rabia Sultana — Producer
Rabia Sultana is a filmmaker based in NYC and LA, originally from East London.

She began her artistic journey performing at Stratford Theatre and Criterion Theatre before studying Archaeology at the University of Sheffield. A 2021-2022 PGA Create Fellow, she received a grant from Google & PGA to produce Haider, Texas, which premiered at the Produced By Conference. Her recent projects include Ricky (Sundance 2025, Best Dramatic Director), Edge of Everything (Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024, Panavision Best Independent Feature).

Select credits include Fairyland (Sundance 2023), Angelfish (TIFF), and The Climb (Cannes, Un Certain Regard). Rabia has produced work for Hulu, Netflix, HBO, and The Juilliard School. Passionate about amplifying diverse voices, she sees film as a catalyst for empowerment and belonging.

A member of BAFTA and the Producers Guild of America, she is dedicated to expanding global narratives in cinema.

Shahjehan Khan – Lead (Shamim

Shahjehan Khan (he/him) is a Boston-based actor, musician, and podcast producer.

Co-founder of Desi/Muslim punk rock legends THE KOMINAS and more than 13 years sober, he has a deep understanding and appreciation for the highs and lows of community representation, having been an extremely visible part of these conversations since the early 2000’s.

Shaj is now a versatile and blooming on-screen force. You’ll see him in Dylan Sprouse’s action-packed thriller Aftermath on Netflix and in shows like Deli Boys,Succession, The walking Dead: Dead City, and For All mankind.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.