COMING SOON

Lisa

Lisa is an American photojournalist. She spent most of the 2000s as a foreign correspondent in Pakistan covering the post 9/11 landscape. In 2007, she met her husband Zayn at one of his exhibitions in Pakistan. They married soon after and returned to New York in early 2014.

Zayn

Zayn was born and raised in Pakistan but moved to New York for grad school in the early 2000s. After finishing his MFA in 2003, he returned to Pakistan soon after where he started working in the local art scene in Lahore. He now returns to New York after ten years with his wife, Lisa.

Maha

Like Zayn, Maha was born and raised in Pakistan as well but moved to New York for grad school on the same scholarship as Zayn and was one of his classmates. She, however, did not return to Pakistan after completing her MFA, opting instead for a life in New York. She's married to Aaron and lives in Manhattan. Despite a couple of exhibitions many years ago, Maha has been largely inactive in the art world. She still regularly visits her favorite galleries and museums.

Aaron

New York born Aaron is the heir apparent to a powerful family in publishing who owns Turner Media. Nonetheless, he likes to take a hands-on approach to his publishing company and regularly works as an editor with the authors he chooses to publish. His latest acquisition is Lisa whose book of essays and photographs from her time in Pakistan is a release he is very excited about.

The Library

The New York Public Library was always one of Lisa’s favorite places for doing research. There are still some books there with her handwritten notes in them that reveal her reasons to leave New York for Pakistan. Find out which ones.

The Bar

This Lower East Side bar is where Zayn and Maha broke up over a decade ago. The walls had ears and you can still eavesdrop on their conversation. Find out how.

What is the Story?

What happens when you are forced to face a lover who deserted you twelve years ago? This is the dilemma Pakistani artist Zayn finds himself in this Fall when he returns to New York for the first time since graduating from art school in 2002. He is accompanied by his wife Lisa, an American photojournalist, who had spent the last few years in Pakistan covering the post-9/11 landscape. Upon her return to New York, Lisa signs a major book deal with heavyweight publisher Aaron but there is one big problem: Aaron is married to Maha, Zayn’s classmate from art school and also his first love. Oblivious to their spouses’ romantic past, Lisa and Aaron make plans for a couples dinner and bring in Zayn and Maha to celebrate. However, the thin veneer of celebration is quickly torn apart by mental and emotional warfare when the painful secrets, repressed feelings, resentment and betrayal simmering over a decade start revealing themselves. In an evening that will change everything they know about each other and the true impact of their choices, all four will have to confront the reality of their lives and relationships, and decide what they are willing- and not willing- to give up for love.

Four Broken Hearts subtly examines the heartbreak and painful sadness of adult decisions and contrasts ‘what could have been’ with ‘how it actually is’ to sketch an intimate, complex and honest portrayal of love and relationships in our politically charged modern world.

Why Transmedia?

'Like Life Itself': Read the academic paper detailing the media theory behind Four Broken Hearts in the new issue of the Journal of Media Practice (Routledge: London)

The story of Four Broken Hearts is being told by taking each of the classic elements of fiction- character, setting, exposition, climax and denouement - and bringing them to life in the medium that conveys them best: Characters are built and explored through social media, Setting is experienced through location based storytelling, the Backstory is fleshed out using film and the Climax is performed as an immersive drama. By taking advantage of what each medium does best while complementing the other mediums, Four Broken Hearts is presented in the form of a rich transmedia experience that allows audiences to explore the story world across many different platforms while still tying it all together within a cohesive narrative.