PU launches Lollywood centenary celebration

The Punjab University College of Art and Design's Postgraduate Research Centre for Creative Arts (PRCCA), in collaboration with the Department of Graphic Design, hosted a symposium in the run-up to the first International Conference on Creative Arts (ICCA) scheduled to honour a century of Lollywood's cinematic journey since its inception in 1924.

PRCCA Director Dr Ahmad Bilal, Sajjad Gul, artist and historian Dr Ajaz Anwar, Dr Khalid Mahmood, Dr Masarat Hasan, Dr Naseem Akhtar, Dr Shaukat Mehmood, Dr Rahat Naveed Masud, faculty members and students attended the pre-conference symposium.

Sajjad Gul highlighted the legacy of his father Agha Gul who had pioneered Pakistan's film industry by establishing Firdous Cinema and Evernew Studios.

Papers were presented by Zohreen Murtaza, Sumbul Natalia, Irum Syed, Nadia Zafar, Fariha Rashid, Sana Yousuf, Mohammad Ali, Nimra Akram, Madiha Zulfiqar, Hira Gul, Sarmed Cheema and Usman Rana.

The event included a dialogue on the transformative evolution of cinema, spanning the silent film era to contemporary digital platforms. A panel of speakers and researchers presented insights on cinema's role in cultural exchange, societal evolution and economic development.