Discoveries from Pakistan World Cinema

In a world of twisted headlines and hidden truths, Rupali Sharma’s unexpected journey unveils the true beauty of Pakistan.

Masoom (1957) is a Pakistani Urdu-language social film, directed by Sharif Nayyar and produced under the banner of Paramount Films. It is notable for featuring Rattan Kumar in the title child role.

Funny stage Drama

Two brothers fighting over an undisclosed dispute, and things just got out of hand.

The third episode of "For The Love Of" series, captures the innocence we once longed to outgrow. As children, we dreamed of adulthood as freedom, only to discover that the truest life was already alive in our childhood. A meditation on lost wonder, and the art we leave behind when we grow up.

"This film details the economic progress achieved with U.S. assistance in the provinces of [formerly] East- and West-Pakistan in the past ten years, and stresses the need for all Pakistanis to work as one to better the country. The film was narrated by Rizvan [Rizwan] Wasti" (US National Archives).

eding Inside: Poverty and mental health in Pakistan (2025) documentary this short documentary tells the story of Amjad a man who has been fighting a silent battle with poverty and mental health. He is the only breadwinner for his family, but his health has left him too weak to work most days. Months of unemployment, hunger, and stress have pushed him into depression, leaving his family worried and helpless. Amjad’s story is not unique millions of Pakistanis live through the same pain every single day. Poverty, lack of mental health support, and social stigma continue to destroy lives in silence. Directed and edited by KHWAABGARI (Khizer Zaman)

The film links a personal and family story of migration with the history of the Indian subcontinent. In an exploration of the cities of Karachi and Leipzig, the film reflects on the search for a home, and experiences and memories that shape identity.

Haider, a construction worker haunted by past trauma, struggles to provide for his family while battling painful memories that threaten to break his fragile sense of stability.

Vengeance unleashes when Sardar and his gang eliminate Dildar Khan, a former ally. With his dying breath, Dildar tasks his son Bahadur with avenging his innocent mother's death, sparking a blood soaked cycle of retribution

Thirteen minutes of black and white vignettes focusing on different layers of life in Balochistan.

Anaari Science establishes a world of 'The Bizarre' set in the city of Hyderabad, Pakistan. The film depicts the stories of Master Jalal and Hassan, the former is a government school teacher leading a life of isolation, whose hobbies other than his school routine revolves around making masterful designs under the influence of his unusual self-brewed tea. The latter is a good-for-nothing young boy who finds work at a computer repair shop but gets himself involved in a life of hustle and scam. The word 'Anaari' in the title is a slang from the Urdu language, which means an individual who is ridiculous and lacks formal sensibility. The title 'Anaari Science' thus, represents a world of science which embodies the absurd and the ridiculous.

Maira, a 14-year-old girl, finds herself grappling with a fading bond between her and a once-close neighbor, Neha. What was once a cherished friendship has gradually eroded, leaving Maira feeling isolated and frustrated. Determined to rekindle her connection, Maira seeks assistance from a trusted school teacher.

As the global population increases and the desire for urban living intensifies, cities are becoming overcrowded. This leads to the exploitation of land for personal and financial gain. This demand has tragically resulted in large-scale deforestation. Apartment buildings, housing societies promising luxurious lifestyles, shopping malls offering endless retail therapy, and spacious parking lots are ruthlessly replacing wildlife habitats and destroying nature, regardless of what stands in their way.

Based on the true story of Ghulam Ali, Rest in Paper is the absurd story of bureaucracy, statelessness and the refugees whose lives it destroyed.

Over an intimate conversation whilst cooking with her grandmother, eight-year-old Nithya learns of her family's journey from Burma to Tamil Nadu during WW2.

Indo-Pak collaboration animated film directed by Ammar Aziz

In an unbroken chain spanning over 800 years, a form of music has inspired, entranced and enlightened people. Songs of the Sufi takes viewers on a musical and artistic journey that catalogues traditional "Qawwali", the mystical music tradition of the Indian Subcontinent associated with 13th-century Sufi seminaries, which is enjoyed globally today.

The heroic true story of 15 year old Aitzaz Hasan.

An excerpt taken from the poem of Mahmoud Darwish, "A Lover From Palestine".

Some of Pakistan’s most remote Himalayan valleys are home to the Kalash community, who follow an ancient, pre-Islamic faith. In recent years, the Kalash population has dwindled to only 4000 as increasing numbers are converted to Islam. Can the community survive, or does it face cultural extinction?

Daredevils from Manila

Eid al-Adha Special Show ft. Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel

Veer Ras is a tradition of singing for centuries, which has almost disappeared from the public sphere. No one completely understands Veer Ras in Partapur and barely anyone knows how to sing it, except Hengji Patidar and Velji Mali. My interest is in remembering the orality of songs and when they become obsolete. This piece was made during the Sandarbh International Artist Residency in Partapur, Rajasthan in the winters of 2015.

After escaping her influential family in the city, Lajvar winds up in Rangpur. She falls in love with Murad, but the village matriarch arranges Murad's marriage with her own niece.

It is not about male or female. Madam is a tale about power.

Small-Time Cinema is a documentary that follows two Youtube filmmaking groups, one living in Balochistan, Pakistan, and one, in Assam, India. The film follows these groups, as they make space for their complex history and cultures, beyond a blanket Indian or Pakistani identity.

A short documentary/drama based in the little known world of a dancing woman. Set in the vibrant city of Lahore "Her My Voice" tells the emotional story of Komal. A deaf mute transsexual, as she reconnects with her father after he suddenly falls ill leading to a stroke.

Pakhi, a conservative Paksitani woman, discovers her husband's secret and follows him every night to a gay bar. A Columbia University Short Film.

The secret life shows how the ancients in Hunza valley converted a barren land into heaven by planting all kinds of trees over more than 300 years. But the current generation has started to cut down trees and construct hotels and shops since Hunza is a significant tourist destination. Strain on resources, mass migrations due to lack of opportunities and ravaged nature makes for a sorry tale told by a dead tree and a Shaman.

Drawing upon Sufi traditions of interpreting Islamic sacred texts where love and equality are celebrated, Journey to the CharBagh is a poetic and experimental exploration of queerness from a Muslim perspective. The narrative focuses on the figure of the Buraq, a winged mythological creature with the ability to travel to heaven, encountering terrestrial and celestial beings, moving toward a spiritual and queer awakening.

Caused by a combination of global warming and climate change, the 2010 Pakistan floods were the worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history. The filmmakers go to places no one dared to go.

BENCH is about a young couple who are at a crossroad of their relationship where leaving each other is just as difficult as staying together. They meet again at their favorite spot to resolve their conflict, once and for all.

Directed by Pervez Malik, the movie features acclaimed actors Nadeem and Shabnam in lead roles, supported by Kemal, Nimmi, and Saiqa

Film directed by Parvez Malik

Film directed by Nazrul Islam

A classic Pakistani Urdu-language drama film directed by Pervez Malik

Film starring Mohammad Ali, Waheed Murad, Nadeem, Deeba, Babra Sharif & Zeba

Film starring Nadeem, Waheed Murad, Mohammad Ali.

1958 Pakistani film

Follows the journey of M.H.Hussaini, a fisherman who has written, produced and directed more than 14 films on his own.

Four Acts of Recovery, is a video piece following a fishing family living in the Indus Delta of Pakistan as they use drawing as a means to overcome unprecedented infrastructural violence and climate collapse. Set in a rapidly submerging delta region, the work depicts how coastal communities employ and transform visual expression to create new forms of faith, resistance, and belonging. It explores the emerging trend of mural painting depicting ancestral creeks and shrines, connecting it to the tradition of talismanic depictions in Islamic culture.

Explores the concept of depending on time and how we put our hope in time that it will fix things for us. Should we really depend on time to fix things?

The true story of a rural community's resistance to the building of a coal power plant in Pakistani Punjab, Lok Sath is an experimental short featuring stills, video footage, abstract art and exquisite animations by Iranian artist and filmmaker Neda Ahmadi

Abhi movie 2024

A cassette seller finds a stranger at his shop amid the noise of Turbat City.

An experimental short made by using one takes over every shot. Hania's first film, portrays existentialism and freedom through rebellion acts, but do we really perceive freedom from it? Or are we just falling into another rabbit-hole because of it?

Nusrat has Left the Building... But When? is a film made on the metamorphic career of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the famous sufi qawwali singer from Pakistan.

The story revolves around a former boxer DODA from a small town. The film goes through the journey of Doda, and how he can survive and overcome his past and make things right once again.

nostalgia, love and regret.

Thieves of Bangkok

A Bengali man, Siraj, wins two Umrah tickets. However his excitement quickly dissipates as he discovers that his family lacks necessary identification cards to obtain passports.

A story about hope, God, and belief. Taking place in the Kalasha valleys, this film explores the social life of Pakistan's Kalash people.

When war results in displacement, both Fazal and Khawas find themselves having to rebuild their lives in makeshift dwellings on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan. As God Wills is a short observational documentary which takes a subtle dive into the daily lives of those who are displaced, whilst offering an intimate look and feel into the human condition and how transitory life is.

A boy looks forward to commencing his first day at a workplace after completing his academic studies.