Documentary 'Pakistan’s Best Kept Secret: Lahore Museum' to be screened in Lahore, London

Premieres will be held on May 1 in England and May 3 in Pakistan

LAHORE: The Institute of Art and Culture (IAC) in Lahore has joined hands with the Museums Association of Pakistan to host the premiere of Ajoka Production and Samosa Media’s new documentary Pakistan’s Best Kept Secret: Lahore Museum. It will be held on Friday, May 3, at IAC Lahore, stated a press release.

UNESCO’s Pakistan director Ms Vibeke Jensen will be the chief guest at the event. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on 'The importance of museum awareness in Pakistan.' Panelists include Ms Karen Exell of Qatar Museum, archaeologist Ihsan Nadeem, director State Bank’s Museum and Art Gallery Asma Ibrahim and secretary Museums Association of Pakistan Mian Atique Ahmad.

The film features Anwar Akhtar, a British-Pakistani journalist and the director of Samosa Media, in conversation with Lahore Museum’s ex-director Sumaira Samad and playwright Shahid Nadeem. They view the Museum's collection and discuss the significance of the institution within Pakistan’s wider social, political, religious and cultural context.

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Pakistan’s Best Kept Secret: Lahore Museum was produced by Ajoka Productions in collaboration with the UK-based Samosa Media. Its London screening will be held on May 1, at Birkbeck University. This will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Professor Chandak Sengoopta (Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck) and Anwar Akhtar (Samosa Media) which will be chaired by Dr Sarah Thomas (director Centre for Museum Cultures at Birkbeck).

Lahore Museum was founded in 1865. The foundation stone of the building was laid by Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria. The building was designed by Sardar Bhai Ram Singh and executed by Sir Ganga Ram.

The work was overseen by John Lockwood Kipling (father of Rudyard Kipling) who was its first curator.  The building opened to the public in 1894. with six galleries, now expanded to 14.

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM

Ajoka Theatre is a Pakistani not-for-profit arts organisation based in Lahore which focuses on producing and performing social theatrical stage productions. It was founded in 1984 by Madeeha Gauhar and Shahid.

Samosa Media is an arts, media and journalism charity that works to embed diversity in the arts and humanities curriculum. It also produces work that explores cultural and social issues, which record and reflect the experience and stories of British Asians.

The IAC - established by the Government of Pakistan - boasts a faculty of dedicated scholars and practitioners, both national and international who are well versed and accomplished in their respective fields and committed to research and practice. The Institute seeks to have a diverse student body from a variety of educational, ethnic, economic and social compositions from within the country and abroad.

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