Azra is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined; from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming- of-age in rural Canada.

Desire in Motion is celebrating Asian Heritage Month with The Queen of My Dreams (2023). Fawzia Mirza (director/writer) and Andria Wilson Mirza (producer) will join us for an in-person Q&A after the screening. The feature film will be preceded by Fawzia Mirza’s Toronto-set short film, Noor & Layla (2021), about five life-changing moments in a queer couple’s relationship marked by the Muslim call to prayer.

There has always been an unmistakable appetite for romance in film. In recent years, we have been treated to a wonderful output of queer Asian romance films that demand everyone’s attention and subvert traditional rom-com expectations. With two breakout hits making waves in 2025, Roshan Sethi’s A Nice Indian Boy and Andrew Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet, Desire in Motion is joining the fun by presenting Fawzia Mirza’s The Queen of My Dreams, an instant classic Canadian film that leaps off the screen with a heartfelt energy.

Mirza’s feature debut is a glorious mash-up of the extravagance of Bollywood cinema and the small town charm of Canada’s East Coast. The film connects pivotal moments in the lives of conservative Muslim mother Mariam (Nimra Bucha, Polite Society) and queer grad student daughter, Azra (Amrit Kaur, The Sex Lives of College Girls). Although they are worlds apart, Mariam and Azra are brought together after the sudden death of Azra’s father, Hassan (Hamza Haq, Viking). Past and present intertwine as the film weaves together Mariam and Hassan’s blossoming love in 1969 Karachi and Azra’s teenage queer awakening in 1989 Nova Scotia. -JACOB CREPEAULT

Featuring a post-film Q&A with writer/director Fawzia Mirza and producer Andria Wilson Mirza

Doors Open 30 Minutes Before Showtime.