Art as Resistance: Kashmir

ANDY SHALLAL IN CONVERSATION WITH FILMMAKER ARFAT SHEIKH on Saffron Kingdom, his work exploring identity, memory, displacement and political conflict, and the personal cost of speaking out. Join us at Busboys and Poets 450K for a timely conversation with Kashmiri filmmaker and artist Arfat Sheikh, making his first public appearance following his recent detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Returning to the United States for a public discussion on art and resistance in Kashmir, Sheikh was detained by ICE agents upon arriving at Dulles International Airport, despite having a pending immigration application and authorization to live and work in the country. His experience in detention has brought renewed attention to the human cost of immigration enforcement and the urgent need for accountability and protections for those in immigration custody. In conversation with Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal, Sheikh will reflect on his filmmaking, the role of art as an act of resistance, his experiences in ICE detention, and the ongoing struggle for justice in Kashmir and beyond. This evening invites us to examine the intersection of art, political resistance, immigration, and human rights—and to consider what it means to stand in solidarity with those whose voices and…