Checkpost

Aneel Ahmad is an amazing director and the films I have seen of his have been great films and Checkpost is one of them, this film is one of the best short films I have ever seen. Aneel always has great actors in his films and this film is very thought provoking. If you get the chance to see it then I think you should it is very very good. Aneel always has a great look to his films and shows situations very well. The young boy in this film I thought was a great actor and did really well at the role he was given in the film an I hope that this film, it's director and it's actors win lots of awards for all their hard work.

From the outset, Aneel Ahmad integrates the everyday hazards of the local population with the pressure that the modern media places on the demand of immediate 24 hour news coverage. Highlighting the dangers faced by all concerned, he cleverly relays the impact that one seemingly small incident can have on more than the immediate protagonists as the reactions are felt far beyond the borders of the incident.

Scripted by Raees Mahmood, and with a remarkably small budget Checkpost embarks on a poignant message that entwines emotions with undertones of responsibility towards those in authority and power and scrutinising the rippling effects of such tragedies.

With so much propaganda to wade through these days with regards to US and UK troop involvement in hostile environments. It is refreshing to see a short film from the UK that focuses on the effects our governing/ defending/meddling (delete where applicable) has on the local families who live in these same areas as well as the people who's job it is to report from them.

Aneel Ahmads Checkpost is an explosive, political drama that scrutinizes the western world's handling of war, by placing its media very much in the spotlight. Where the desperate need for a good story in the days of 24 hr news coverage takes precedent over everything else, including human life.

Filmed over three continents and with a script by Raees Mahmood Khan so full of character, subtext and political swipes, it never stops scoring points, Ahmad weaves a visceral, thrill ride of emotion and anger into 12 minutes of film you wish was so much longer.

It is very rare for feature films, never mind shorts, to make you feel something. Checkpost is a film you will be talking about long after the final credits have rolled and one that will be remembered by many people for many years to come.

One of the trademarks of an Aneel Ahmad film is how he introduces to us as a character the ambiance or the environment in which the other characters move. Aneel has at the "Checkpost" created a concise, yet minutely detailed and moving film about drone massacres, the political talking heads that faultily try to define or support them, the different perspectives that media may take, the driving force of selfish, monetary gain, and the visceral environment in which they all play. Aneel's talent in bringing together all aspects of life in a land where terrorism only became a daily part of life in recent history is so realistic one might think this film a documentary itself. More than simply making a statement about politics and terrorism, Aneel has shown us how at least the Western media tends to portray these in cold and unfeeling ways that are so vastly different from the real experiences of those who personally go through these tragedies. At the Checkpost we more than see - we FEEL - how these tangled webs of murder, politics, media and emotion strangle the once simpler and "happy" traditional life of those in the 3rd world. We feel the love of a boy for his father, for example, or the loving embrace of a hard working man giving his son the best possible life he can muster. Juxtaposed, we feel the sense of impending doom and the prayers we'd keep if we, too, had to live as if at any flash of a moment life could end. The detail and skill that Aneel has put into the making of this film is extraordinary (as usual), and I look forward to seeing many more of his always poignant films.

Checkpost is one of the best political short films that I have seen in ages. Gripping!

Last night I was thinking about what to write and I felt a bit speechless/wordless. It was like watching the Jason Bourne series. The film opened with a blast and griped my suspense all the way. It's clever, tense and has great action.

I have seen loads of short films over the years and they look like short films, but this one (Checkpost) is like watching a feature film. It was a real treat and the music acting camera work direction was seriously amazing. A must see.

Checkpost deserves all the praise it is getting. Well done to the entire team, especially Aneel Ahmad, he is one to watch out for.