The second edition of Pakistan International Film Festival 2019, organized under the banner of Karachi Film Society (KFS), took place over the weekend, from October 25 till 27 in Karachi. The 3-day festival kicked off with special screenings of some of the animated films that have been made in Pakistan, while screenings were followed by a seminar on the scope of animation in Pakistan.
The films including Bilal – A New Breed of Hero, Earth Heroes, Quaid Say Batain and Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor were screened at Capri Cinema for underprivileged students from across the city. It was also attended by DG Rangers Sindh, Major General Umar Bukhari and president KFS Sultana Siddiqui.
“Children should dream of becoming whatever they want to in the future,” noted Major General Umar Bukhari, adding that and it’s his wish that one day one of the students might become a DG Ranger or a good filmmaker and be able to show his film to kids like them. He also appreciated the efforts of KFS in organizing such activities and giving young people the incentive to become something in life.
The seminar, titled ‘Potential of Animation in Pakistan – Challenges & Opportunities’, discussed issues and challenges faced by the animation industry in Pakistan. It was moderated by filmmaker Sana Tauseef, who produced TikTok last year, while panelists included Amyn Farooqui, Co-CEO/Co-Founder & Creative Sharp Image; Daniyal Noorani, CEO - Wakhra Studio /Creator Quaid Say Batein; Aziz Jindani, Founder - Talisman Animation Studio, Creative Director, The Donkey King; Arif Jilani, Producer Barajoun Entertainment, Bilal - A New Breed of Hero and Imran Ali Dina, Lecturer/ GFX Mentor and Asif Iqbal Bridge Animations &VFX - Chief Executive Officer.
The panelists discussed at length the quality and content of animated films produced in Pakistan so far and the reasons behind losing good human resource to foreign countries.
