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Lollywood makes it to Saarc Film Festival
Two films from Pakistan will be representing the country in the Saarc Film Festival 2011.
Two films from Pakistan will be representing the country in the Saarc Film Festival 2011. DESIGN: ANAM HALEEM
LAHORE:
Lollywood has been floundering for a long time, but there is finally good news for the beleaguered industry! Two Pakistani films have been accepted for screening at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Film Festival starting from May 11 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The festival, to be held at the National Film Corporation Cinema Hall in Colombo, will conclude on May 15. All the member states are required to nominate two feature films. The top three films will be awarded at the end of the event.
Mohabbatan Sachiyan and Shackles Yet to Open are the two films selected to represent Pakistan at the festival. Shahzad Rafique, who has directed both the films, had the English subtitling done from India.
In February, Pakistan could not participate in South Asian Film Festival in Canberra, Australia, because the ministry of culture did not inform the filmmakers on time. Since Pakistan does not have any subtitling machine for film, the filmmakers were not left with enough time to take their films abroad to fulfill the subtitling requirement.
This time, however, the ministry of foreign affairs forwarded the concept note, tentative agenda and duration of the proposed Saarc Film Festival to the ministry of culture in time. The ministry then sent it to the Central Board of Film Censors, which forwarded it to the the Pakistan Film Producers Association. Miraculously, this labyrinthine process was completed in time.
A concept note written on Saarc Film Festival 2011 reads: “The Saarc Cultural Centre, in keeping with its mandate of promoting culture in the region through different modes of art, will showcase films from the region as cultural expressions at its Saarc Festival. The film festival will give all member states an opportunity to screen some of the best films from the region.
The Saarc Film Festival will aim to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and shared points of view from film directors from the region.”
The Saarc film festival will focus on promoting some of the best films released in 2010 from all the member states. The festival will hold workshops for the directors of the selected movies and will also recognise the best feature films released in 2010.
The festival will start with the screening of an Afghan feature film, while the first Pakistani film will be screened on May 13, followed by the second one on May 15. Other than Pakistan and Afghanistan, films from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal will be screened.
Talking to The Express Tribune Shahzad Rafique said: “Mohabbatan Sachiyan is a youth-oriented film which portrays the lighter side of village life in Pakistan. It shows that people in villages are also getting education and, they too, fall in love.
It shows Pakistan as a loving nation and portrays a softer image of the country. My other film Shackles Yet to Open is a meaningful issue-based film to address one of the major issues in our society where a bias towards women exists.”
Rafique said that such festivals were very important for promoting regional cooperation and peace, adding that he would like to raise the issue of giving visas to filmmakers to visit Saarc countries freely. “Filmmakers in Pakistan have to go to India for the post-production work and they should be given visas for the purpose easily,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2011.
Reader Comments (18)
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Why Mohabatan Sachian, why not Mansoor’s ‘Khuda Kay Liey’ or Sumar’s ‘Silent Water’. I believe these films are more subject oriented and address the issue with far more clarity and sensibility than Mohabatan Sachiyan. Secondly Rafique’s justification for his Punjabi film does sound a bit immature, “It shows that people in villages are also getting education and, they too, fall in love.”Recommend
Does he know what he is talking about?Recommend
Lollywood!!! quite a copied title. Lolzywud!Recommend
Both these are rubbish. Better choices were khuda ke liye and silent water.Recommend
Why not Mohabbataan Sachiyaan? Have you even seen it? Is is it necessary that only propaganda based films are the sole representative of Pakistan? Mohabbtaan Sachiyaan is a beautiful film shot in never-seen-before-on-celluloid locations…it would represent Pakistan in a more cultural way! KKL has already gained enough International recognition….!Recommend
i like pakistani a lot!!
my current girl friend is a lahori kudi here!!
I have seen some pakistani films and some of actors are good!
but i wont like to see punjabi movie(very cheap :P)Recommend
@Salim:
LmaooooooooRecommend
@Sverige:
how about bollywood..it is also copied and guess what …now bollywood should be called mollywood…because name change from Bombay to Mumbai………Recommend
Lollywood eh?! Well, it makes me LOL! :D
I wonder how many movies they produce in a month, year, decade?!
Our regional film industries like telgu, tamil , bhojpuri have got more mass appeal than their mainstream cinema! :PRecommend
thumbs up…both are correct choices!!//=))Recommend
@ Arman : Its not those cheap Punjabi films….Its way to different and i guarantee it has the best cinematography ever seen in a Pakistani film…see this clip :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dacKuHk9MQRecommend
@Salim:
Yes, I did watch Mohabatan Sachian and not for entertainment but for academic purposes. The film shows hero hanging from the ceiling with the rope in a ‘Mission Impossible’ style and the provocative dressing of female characters in dance sequences (hint: Veena Malik’s dressing in ‘Imagine’ Dance) last time I checked this is not the culture of Pakistan.
Secondly, if the purpose of the film was to show the picturesque locations of Pakistan then I believe some travel guide video could have fulfilled the purpose and lastly, the picture quality doesn’t matter if the film’s content is meaningless. I do understand the message of the film but refuse to acknowledge the way it has been delivered. Hence, the idea of ‘Silent Water’ or ‘Khuda Key Liey’.Recommend
@arman: my previous girl friend was a Patialwy kuri and i dont like Indian movies. Look what they have made of Gajhini (copied from Momento) too much non-sense together. I could not watch even half of it.
Rather prefer to watch Hollywood.Recommend
@F.Gh: Too much pessimistic comments. Even if the movie is meant to present the northern beauty then whats wrong with it. We want to see it in the movies not on a travel channel.
A movie nominated for awards is not perfect in all of its aspects. Only one (or several) department of it is nominated. So it might be nominated for best cinematography then. Unfortunately no category of CULTURE is defined yet. Important thing is to keep making movies so this industry will bring some foreign exchange in the country. Just to add, millions of people get employed in such activities. I have seen how a film studio works and from that to the cinema itself. How many are earning money through entertainment industry. Please critisize positively. Recommend
91 salutes you – congratulations for Lollywood and Pakistan. May this industry be successful again! http://twitter.com/FM91_RADIO1, http://www.fm91.com.pk.Recommend
@ Shahzad Rafique: Muhabbatan Sachchiyaan undoubtedly represents no Pakistani culture. Though, the movie shows some exotic locations but the story was so dud & typical to follow centuries old pathetic filmy style. Mr. Shahzad Rafique! this is to apprise you that girls following cultural norms don’t dance out in the fields & in rain showing skins.
Why didn’t the concerns chose Shoaib Mansoor’s new movie “BOL” …?
& I don’t need to talk about Bollywood where each n every flick appears to be a pathetic copy of some other Int’l movie.Recommend
I hope the festival is as cheesy and cheap as our movies, so that we find a competition there..Recommend
I agree that Khuda Kay Liye and Silent Waters could have been a better choice but i got to know that KKL has already been showed in the previous SAARC film festival!
And yeah agree with too much pessimistic comments….I have seen MS no doubt it has an old story which has been done 1000 times before but i dont know why there is something sweet about the film that I liked it! Its music and cinematography was top notch….so I dont mind if its being sent on International festival…Cmon guys its just entertainment-Chill Out!Recommend