Karachi Film Society announced its second
edition of Pakistan International Film Festival which will take place from 25th
to 27th October. This year the festival focuses on animated films
only. The event will have multiple activities including seminars, talks, workshop
and film screenings along with three Pakistan premiers of international
productions.
Karachi Film Society is a non-profit
organization and parent body of Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF),
founded by renowned producer/director Ms. Sultana Siddiqui. Other notable
members of KFS are Jamil Baig, Ameena Saiyid, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Sirajuddin
Aziz, Javed Jabbar, Ronak Lakhani and Sayeeda Leghari. The festival is
supported by the Government of Sindh through its Department of Culture.
The activities of the festival include a seminar
scheduled to take place on October 25th on the topic: ‘Potential
of Animation in Pakistan – Challenges & Opportunities’. Filmmaker
Sana Tauseef who produced animated film ‘TikTok’ in 2018, will be the moderator
for the seminar and will be joined by panelists Amyn Farooqui, Co-CEO/Co-Founder
& Creative SHARP IMAGE; Daniyal Noorani, CEO - Wakhra Studio /Creator Quaid
se Batein; Aziz Jindani, Founder - Talisman Animation Studio, Creative Director
'The Donkey King'; Arif Jilani, Producer Barajoun Entertainment, BILAL - a New Breed
of hero; Imran Ali Dina, Lecturer/ GFX Mentor and Asif Iqbal Bridge Animations
&VFX -Chief Executive Officer. The chief guest will be Mr. MurtazaWahab - Advisor
to Chief Minister of Sindh on Law, Anti-corruption, Establishment and
Information.
Six films will be screened during PiFF: BILAL: A New Breed of Hero (Arif Jilani – producer); ALLAHYAR and the Legend
of Markhor (Uzair Zaheer Khan – director, writer & producer); Mary & The Witch’s Flower (English Language producer);
Modest Heroes – (Ponoc Short Films
Theatre, Volume 1); Kanini & Kanino; created by (Hiromasa Yonebayashi). Life Ain’t Gonna Lose presented by
Yoshiyuki Momose, the “right-hand man” to famed animation director Isao
Takahata; Invisible drawn
and animated by Akihiko Yamashita. The
Donkey King (Aziz Jindani - Founder of Talisman Animation Studios and co-producer, co-writer
and creative director of The Donkey King) and 3
BAHADUR: Rise of
the Warriors (Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy – director, SOC Films).
The Short Films include Global Citizens; Why
are sea levels rising; Saif the fisherman and Quaid Se
Batein (Daniyal Noorani - Creator). The Workshop will be conducted by Geoffery Wexler. From his work on Studio Ponoc's debut feature film 'Mary and
The Witch's Flower' to his pursuit of storytelling worthy of Isao Takahata’s
masterpiece when producing the English-language version of Studio Ghilbi's 'Only
Yesterday' will be discussed in the session.
The
Festival will be a gathering of professionals, students, academia and
enthusiasts of animation in Pakistan. The three-day long event will be the
first of its kind in the country and will open new doors for progress in this
growing industry.