The art of filmmaking in Pakistan has had an interesting history. Since the creation of Pakistan, over 10,000 plus Urdu movies have been directed and produced. Several films are also made in provincial languages like Pashto, Punjabi, and Sindhi. Between 1977 and 2007, the film industry in the country faced a major decline. Meanwhile, Pakistani filmmakers have forayed into the international film landscape and produced both critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. What makes a good film? What spells success for a project? What are the challenges in the A to Z process of filmmaking?
September 24, 2020
Time:
4:00 pm
Facebook Live
Join us for the forty-fourth session of LUMS Live: Lights, Camera, Action! Inside the World of Filmmaking. Our distinguished panelists include Mr. Sarmad Khoosat - Filmmaker and TV Director, Ms. Shazia Ali Khan - Filmmaker, Mr. Saim Sadiq - Filmmaker, and Mr. Nasir Khan - Filmmaker.
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2020
Time: 4:00 pm (PST)
Moderated by Adeel Hashmi, the session will be broadcast live via the LUMS Facebook page. Please click here to listen to our panelists as they discuss the current landscape of filmmaking.
During the session, please use the live stream's comments bar to ask questions or email them at ask@lums.edu.pk.
After the session, kindly share your feedback and suggest future topics for discussion/guests here.
Join us for this important conversation!
Profiles of Panelists
Mr. Sarmad Khoosat - Filmmaker and TV Director
Mr. Khoosat is a filmmaker, actor, TV director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing the TV dramas Humsafar and Shehr-e-Zaat and the critically acclaimed film Manto. He rose to prominence during the late 1990s, when he created the sitcom Shashlik, which ran for over three years on PTV, after which he ventured into directing his first TV drama. He has since written and directed numerous successful TV shows and films. In October 2018, he also delivered a 24-hour-long live act, No Time To Sleep, enacting the last 24 hours of a death row prisoner’s life, a performance which earned him critical appreciation. He has two directorial feature films coming up, one of which he is writing also.
Ms. Shazia Ali Khan - Filmmaker
A corporate executive turned filmmaker, Ms. Khan, a graduate of the LUMS MBA Class of 1998, worked for Unilever Pakistan as brand manager for three years before deciding to follow her passion; having then pursued a degree in filmmaking from the London Film Academy she has since then not looked back. She has lived and worked mostly in the UK and South Africa where she produced and directed a popular talk show ‘Talking Divas’ for ARY London. She has also directed documentaries for social causes in Africa and South Asia including TCF and School Aid. Her debut feature film Pinky Memsaab as a writer/director/co-producer won best film at UKAFF in 2019 and continues to trend on Netflix for the last two years across the globe. Currently, she resides in Dubai running her production company, Shaz Films. She is also teaching the undergraduate Film Programme at Middlesex University as adjunct professor. She is in the process of developing her second feature length film that is in the pre-production stage.
Mr. Saim Sadiq - Filmmaker
LUMS Alumnus Mr. Sadiq (BSc 2014) is a filmmaker whose short film Darling was the first Pakistani film to premiere at the 76th Venice Film Festival where it also won the award for Best Short Film. Darling was also an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival 2019, won a Special Jury Mention award at South by Southwest 2020 and was acquired for distribution by Focus Features. His previous short film Nice Talking to You was an official selection at South by Southwest 2019, Palm Springs International Shortsfest 2019, made the BAFTA Shortlist for Best Student Film and won Vimeo's Best Director award at Columbia University Film Festival 2018 along with the Kodak Student Scholarship Gold Award. Mr. Sadiq is currently developing a pilot for MakeReady in Los Angeles and working on his first feature, Gulaab, which was selected for the Open Doors Hub at the 2018 Locarno Film Festival.
Mr. Nasir Khan - Filmmaker
Mr. Khan is a filmmaker with a diverse slate of TV commercials, documentaries, TV plays and a feature film to his credit. He is a co-owner of Big Film Entertainment, a media production company that creates content for international and local brands. A graduate of McGill University, Mr. Khan’s initiation into television was at World Affairs TV Production in Montreal, where he wrote and produced television shows for a number of years. Back in Pakistan, he directed the telefilm 14 Din, which swept the prestigious HUM Telefilm awards in late 2008. Mr. Khan’s first feature length documentary Made In Pakistan premiered at BAFTA and was showcased at festivals all over the world, winning the best documentary award at the South Asian Film Festival. In 2016, he made his feature film directorial debut with Bachaana, which turned out to be one of the highest grossing films of the year and received critical acclaim. Mr. Khan is currently working on his second feature film tentatively titled Made in China.
