Sarmad Khoosat's 'Lali' wins Best Director at DC South Asian Film Festival

Sarmad Khoosat’s Lali has picked up the Best Director award at the 15th DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF), adding another festival honour to a year that has already taken the Punjabi-language drama from Berlin to London.

The win was announced by DCSAFF on Instagram as part of the 2026 edition’s “Bridging Cultures Through Films” award slate, which also named Boong Best Feature Film, Hills Don’t Dance Alone Best Short Film, and Kritika Kamra Best Actress for The Great Shamsuddin Family.

The award marked his second DCSAFF Best Director win. The festival had previously honoured him in the same category for Kamli in 2023.

Screengrab: Instagram/sarmadkhoosat

Co-written by Khoosat and Sundus Hashmi, Lali has had a busy year on the international festival circuit, beginning with its premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in February.

The film made history there as the first fully Pakistani-produced feature to screen at the Berlinale.

In April, Lali received an honourable mention from the feature jury at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles for its genre fluidity and visual richness.

Earlier this month, the film was also selected to screen on the opening day of the 70th BFI London Film Festival, which runs from October 7 to 18, as part of the festival’s “Laugh” strand.

At the centre of Lali is Zeba (Mamya Shajaffar), a young woman branded a “cursed bride” after three of her previous suitors died in mysterious circumstances. She is subsequently arranged to marry Sajawal (Channan Hanif).

The ensemble cast also includes Joyland’s Rasti Farooq and Churails star Meher Bano, while Joyland director Saim Sadiq serves as the film’s editor.