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Plays in DC[FRAME] Program: Of This Place
Friday, June 12
8:15 PM - 9:30 PM

Regal Gallery Place

701 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

for all screenings

The Custodian

Director

Khaula Malik

Executive Producers

Daniel Chalfen, Sam Widdoes

Producers

Amber Hsu, Colleen Thurston, Khaula Malik

Editor

Peter Wagner

Co-Editor

Peter Wagner

Cinematographer

Aidan Colt Sheldon

Composer

William Ryan Fritch

Contact

Khaula Malik malik.khaula@gmail.com

Following Samu Qureshi, a devoted Washington Commanders superfan who has spent more than 50 years building the country’s largest private collection of team memorabilia, THE CUSTODIAN traces one man’s effort to secure a future for his unofficial museum. Now in his 60s and living in St. Louis, Samu is running out of time — and space.

As the team reckons with its racist legacy and redefines its identity, Samu sees a final opportunity to preserve the collection he has devoted his life to building. But preserving the past proves complicated. Between giving impromptu tours, writing to team ownership, and facing his wife’s pleas to declutter, Samu is forced to confront the contradictions in the legacy he holds dear.

THE CUSTODIAN is an intimate, character-driven exploration of nostalgia, fandom, and the politics of what we choose to hold onto.

Content Warning: This film contains strong language, including use of the f-word, and archival or contextual use of racist language, including the former Washington football team name, “Redskins.” Viewer discretion is advised.
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Khaula Malik

Director, The Custodian

Khaula Haider Malik is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and programmer based in New York City. She most recently co-produced Apple TV+’s GIRLS STATE. Her work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, HBO, the Doris Duke Foundation, Center for Asian American Media, PBS, and The Gotham.

She is currently in post-production on her first feature documentary, THE NOBLES, which has received support from DOC NYC and the Catapult Film Fund Rough Cut Retreat. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Sight & Sound, and on PBS, and she has collaborated with Netflix and HBO. She is a graduate of the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema MFA program and served as a programmer for the True/False Film Fest from 2022 to 2024.

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