MUMBAI: The Doha Film Institute (DFI) is to finance internationally acclaimed and award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist based on Mohsin Hamid’s bestselling novel by the same name.

The film, a Mirabai Films and Cine Mosaic production, marks DFI’s first financing involvement in an independent feature film. The project underscores DFI’s ongoing goal to foster creativity and storytelling by supporting key independent productions from international filmmakers around the world.

Adapted by Bill Wheeler, Mohsin Hamid, and Ami Boghani and produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the second major international production to receive financing from the DFI. The institute first ventured into international production earlier this year with the Arabian epic Black Gold along with Quinta Communications.

Commenting on The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Nair said, “My father lived in Lahore before the partition of India and Pakistan. I am inspired to make a contemporary film about Pakistan, especially in this day and age when the perceived schism between Islamists and the Western World becomes more pronounced each day. In Doha Film Institute, I have a like-minded partner who shares a common belief in this story and its ability to affect change, having supported this project from the very beginning. In this day and age to have creative freedom to make a film that is political, timely and multi layered is a gift.”

The film is a riveting thriller about Changez, a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street in the era of globalization. After 11 September, Changez experiences a seismic shift in his own attitude, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.

Commented DFI executive director Amanda Palmer, “Mira Nair is one of the most recognised filmmakers working today, someone who Qatar has long admired for her talent and commitment to making films that tackle strong subject matters with enduring humanity. And with the tenth anniversary year of September 11, the importance of this story cannot be understated."

Other crew members include cinematographer Declan Quinn, costume designer Arjun Bhasin, production designer Michael Carlin and editor Shimit Amin.