Pakistan Calling Film Festival
By Umema Babar
“Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”
― Ingmar Bergman
Art is most definitely the best way of expressing one’s imagination. Conveying ideas and feelings through an entertainment media is the best communication. Among various art forms, visual art is the oldest documented art. Films were never just the entertaining media but are cultural artifacts. Making one experience what is beyond imagination for some, films widen one’s imagination spheres. It is clearly the best way of storytelling.
With growing importance and expanding film making industries all around the world, our budding Pakistani Filmmaking productions celebrated this revival of cinema in Pakistan last weekend, on the 26th and 27th November. Serving as the inaugural event of their movement towards social and cultural development, Pakistan Calling was held at the VM ART GALLERY, an initiative of the Department of VISUAL STUDIES at University of Karachi to promote individual filmmakers by providing them the much-needed opportunity to manifest their creativity. It was a two-day event which welcomed all genres of films (fiction, non-fiction, animation). It also held workshops and panel discussions with group of experienced panelists which highlighted key points for the prosperity of Pakistani cinema. Primarily aimed at encouraging Pakistan’s young filmmakers to polish their skills, the movies and workshops motivated aspirants to sow the seed of diversity in our films.
The workshops deliberated on the relation between television and cinema, on crossing the boundaries between these two mediums and most importantly on films as witness, emphasizing importance of films as witness of culture and history. The quality and variety of films screened left an impact on the audience with its fine attention to detail.
The event screened the verity of films, more than thirty-five short films. All of them were thought provoking films, like SUPUN XIK, Paradise Melting, Pangolins in Peril, K2 - The Invisible Footmen and Gondogoro LA with mesmerizing beauty of nature. These variegated films highlighted some major social and environmental issues.
The art was not just restricted to the screening but the festival had also organized an exhibition that displayed captivating work of 50 artists. It carried fine drawings, terrific paintings, sculptures portraying the history of film making in Pakistan and the wonderful art culture of our beloved homeland.
The much-needed motivational event for young and individual film makers ended with the award distribution ceremony. Taqseem won for the best fictional short and Hellhole for the best non-fictional short movie. Canned got the best animated title and the best international film award was received by K2 The Invisible Footmen.
