Pakistani cinema takes centre stage: ‘Kamli’ and ‘In Flames’ shine at international film festivals

As 2023 comes to a close, Pakistan's film industry remains in the global spotlight, attracting major buzz at international festivals. Recently, the industry’s two offerings have been recognised at different prestigious platforms for displaying remarkable artistry and dedication to storytelling: Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames and Sarmad Khoosat’s Kamli.

Kahn took to Instagram to share In Flames’ impressive reception at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg (IFFMH) where the film bagged the International Newcomer Award. The director quoted the statement by the festival’s jury in the post’s caption to articulate his joy at the occasion.

“Our award goes to a filmmaker who manages to shift and play with genre while maintaining a connection both to his audience as well as his protagonist throughout the film. The main character is a young woman who is allowed to be both brave and fragile, and she is brought to life through a wonderful debut performance that complements the mise-en-scene. The winner is In Flames,” read the statement.

Kahn further relayed his sentiments about the appreciation received by his horror debut feature film, adding in the caption, “I still can’t believe we won. Thank you to all the incredible people who believed in our film.” In Flames marks Pakistan’s return to the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight since Jamil Dehlavi’s entry The Blood of Hussain was selected in 1980 and was this year’s nominee at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Khan's horror film is also set to represent Pakistan in the race for the international feature Oscar. Meanwhile in Belarus, Khoosat’s 2022 film Kamli achieved a historic milestone at the Minsk International Film Festival, clinching three prestigious awards.

Saba Qamar secured the Best Actor Award, Sarmad Khoosat earned the Best Director Award whereas the film received the Viewers’ Choice accolade at the renowned Listapad festival, the largest film festival in Belarus. Khoosat Films and the director himself celebrated the triumph on their official Instagram accounts.

Previously, Khoosat’s 2019 film Zindagi Tamasha was Pakistan’s official submission to the 93rd Oscars in the Best International Film category and garnered global acclaim and multiple awards. However, due to protests by religious groups, the film faced difficulties in reaching local audiences despite receiving clearance from all three censor boards, prompting Khoosat to finally release the film on video hosting services such as YouTube and Vimeo on August 4, 2023.

The positive reception to In Flames and Kamli including Saim Sadiq’s Joyland in 2023 alone has resurrected hopes for artists as to the future of filmmaking in Pakistan, especially when dealing with subject matters mistakenly presumed to be unpopular among the viewing publics.

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