Actualités

Acclaimed director Deepa Mehta, known for films like “Funny Boy,” “Fire,” “Water” and “Earth,” has boarded Iram Parveen Bilal‘s Pakistan-set “Wakhri” as a presenting executive producer.

“Wakhri” is set to open the 19th edition of Tasveer Film Festival on Oct. 17 in Seattle. The film tells the story of a widowed school teacher who becomes an overnight social media sensation due to her unfiltered opinions. As she navigates her newfound influencer status, she must balance traditional norms, hidden identities, and raising her 10-year-old son.

The film is inspired by Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch who was murdered in 2016. It has already made its mark on the festival circuit, premiering at the Red Sea Film Festival and screening at SXSW, San Francisco International Film Festival, and Cleveland International Film Festival, among others.

“Wakhri” is a collaboration between Sanat Initiative, Awedacious Originals and Parveen Shah Production, with Mehta’s Deepa Mehta Films Inc.

Saawan (Urdu: ساون‎‎), directed by Farhan Alam and produced and written by Mashood Qadri and Kalakar Films is based on a true story that took place when medics were going throughout Pakistan to administer the polio vaccine. The film stars Saleem Mairaj, Syed Karam Abbas, Arif Bahalim, Najiba Faiz and Imran Aslam in the lead roles.

Seen through the prism of the handicapped nine year old boy, deserted in a desolate valley in the mountains of Balochistanthat, the injustices of a tribal society with an inept feudal justice system are cruel signposts which society normally view as commonplace. The boy (the protagonist played by child prodigy actor Karam Hussein) is rejected by his father, intimidated by society, harassed by friends and left alone in a valley in the scorching heat to die due to his disability. Strengthened by memories and dreams of the love of his mother, he begins a...