Hot Picks: The Push

The Push tells the story of Fawziyah Javed, a talented 31-year-old lawyer and expectant mother, who plunged to her death from Edinburgh’s iconic peak, Arthur’s Seat, in 2021.

Initially her fall seemed like a tragic accident, but Fawziyah, who was from Leeds, survived just long enough to tell a passer-by and police office that her husband, Kashif Anwar, had pushed her. Soon after, details emerged to indicate that her husband had abused Fawziyah for a long time. The result was a murder trial in 2023 that led to Anwar being jailed for life.

The core story contains the kind of remarkable twists that make the best true-crime series stand out. But what really sets The Push apart, says Candour creative director Anna Hall, is unprecedented access to the murder trial.

“Scotland is the only place in the UK where the courts can give permission for filming to take place – and we were fortunate enough to be granted access. So what you see in The Push is a comprehensive, minute-by-minute narrative, which shows the pain of a Muslim family going through a murder case. We talk to the prosecution, the defence and the family as the case progresses.”

Candour also had access to highly revelatory material recorded by Fawziyah before her death – material that proved decisive in securing a conviction. “Fawziyah and her husband married for love, but he quickly became coercive and abusive. Fawziyah decided to record this abuse, so what is extraordinary about the trial and this film is that so much of the build up to the murder was documented by the victim.”

Another dimension of The Push that Hall says makes it truly different from other true-crime documentaries is the support it received from Fawziyah’s family. “You get this palpable grief from a Muslim family who want to share what has happened – and that’s really unusual because domestic abuse within the Muslim community is very hidden. The family are incredibly brave in expressing how they feel about what happened to Fawziyah.”

The series was commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK, with BossaNova joining in as international distributor. Head of acquisitions Claire Runham says the company was familiar with Candour’s work thanks to issue-led series such as the Bafta-winning Libby, Are You Home Yet?

Explaining the show’s international appeal, she says: “There’s a really high bar these days. Buyers want extraordinary stories and unbelievable access. Candour found that with this story, the fact that it has exclusive coverage of the courtroom is really compelling.”

The Push is not the kind of returnable franchise that BossaNova often deals with. But Runham says buyers are seeking shows that can be bingeable events: “Short-order series and one-offs are in demand if they offer audiences amazing stories.”

The Push will be launched at the London TV Screenings, and there will be a special event aimed at MPs, the domestic abuse commissioner and other key social stakeholders. “Off the back of this film, we’re working with charity Karma Nirvana on a campaign called ‘The Push For Change’, which is seeking a statutory definition of honour-based abuse – because right now there isn’t one,” says Hall.