Nine short films screened on second day of Nueplex Film Festival

Nine short films directed by young and independent filmmakers were screened at the Nueplex Film Festival on its second day on Saturday.

The films included Vachan, Life, Shehr-e-Mashooq, Silence After The Storm, Girgit, Psycho Taxi, Where Is My Yellow, A.K.A Zakir and Parwaaz Darshab.

A large number of film enthusiasts and critics as well as general public attended the screening of these films.

The jury members for the festival — director Nadeem Baig, actor Humayun Saeed, writer Zanjabeel Asim Shah, writer Bee Gul and director Sirajul Haq — were also present on the occasion.

The first movie to be screened was Vachan, a drama directed by Kuldeep Khatri. The film revolved around Shrawan, a young Hindu man who decides to take his deceased father’s body to a place only he knows. His family is outraged but he remains determined. He is able to carry out his goal with the help of local mystics.

The second movie was titled Life, a crime drama directed by Abdul Moiz Sandilo. In the film, a failed magician turns psychopath and takes revenge of his daughter’s death from society.

In Shehr-E-Mashooq, a musical drama directed by Saleena Khan, a Sufi dancer struggles to save his faith after apparently losing all hope.

The movie Silence After the Storm was based on climate change and social issues. It was directed by Alina Rizwan. In the film, which was set in the heart of Sindh, a young boy rewrites his dreams that were shattered by rains and floods.

In Girgit, a sci-fi movie directed by Muslim Abbas, a group of aliens have come to Earth to complete their mission, however, an outcast tries to disrupt their mission while stealing their thunder power.

Psycho Taxi was a crime drama thriller directed by Ahsan Khan. It told the story of a taxi driver who threatens and tries to kill a girl coming from a party late at night.

The movie Where Is My Yellow was a psychological drama directed by Sarosh Ahmed. It revolved around a painter who is imprisoned and sentenced for creating a painting of a banned object – a flower.

The movie A.K.A Zakir, a drama directed by M Sahar Irfan, was about a man, Zakir, whose tailoring shop in Karachi crumbles, mirroring the rejection he faces for his feminine traits. Seeking refuge in an unreal sanctuary, his journey unravels the delicate fabric between societal expectations and personal acceptance.

The last movie to be screened was Parwaaz Darshab directed by Safar Ali Danish. In the movie, Najeeba, a young girl begins to run her late father’s vegetable cart.

A total of 18 short films have been screened during the first two days of the three-day festival being held at the Nueplex Cinemas.

The jury will announce nine awards today (Sunday), the last day of the festival, in the categories of best film, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenplay, best sound design, best cinematography, best editing and best production design.

The event explores a wide range of unexplored genres in films and also provides emerging female directors an opportunity to showcase their work in a male-dominated industry, the organisers said.

According to the organisers, the goal of the festival is to bridge the gap between unexplored talent and the Pakistani film industry. Most of the directors being featured are in their 20s, and are film and media students enrolled at universities.

These directors often remain untapped while they struggle to find their way into the Pakistani film industry due to lack of opportunities, the organisers said. “Through this festival, we are giving aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to connect with established members of our film fraternity,” they added.

Earlier, on the first day of the festival on Friday, nine short films were screened. The first movie was titled Discarded. It was a psychological thriller directed by Rohail Ahmed. The short film revolved around the life of an eccentric person.

The title of the second film was Circus. Directed by Mohsin Tariq, it revolved around the life of a roadside mascot costume artist who hoped for a change in his monotonous life as the circus returned to his city.

The third movie, Cardiac Arrest, was an action sci-fi piece directed by Ammar Raza. The film told the story of a retired agent who is haunted by his past and is compelled to go on a last mission when a deadly virus threatens global safety after a new world order comes into effect. The fourth production screened at the festival was Barakh, a psychological drama directed by Hassan Ibrahim. It was about two people, Abdullah and Khudabaksh, who embark on a fateful journey marked by grief, guilt and the unknown, forging a bond of understanding and support as they confront their own mortality.

The fifth movie was named Shikray Ka Gudda. It was a fantasy drama directed by Subtain Abbas. In the movie, seven-year-old Ali tries to explore his own truth which is based on a lie. The sixth movie was Reverie, a surreal cinema piece directed by Sharmeen Ali. In it, a woman returns to her childhood home, confronting buried memories and deeply embedded denial, and ultimately finds acceptance in a place she did not expect.

The seventh movie was titled Ticket to Paradise, a drama directed by Owais Hameed. In the movie, a person belonging to Karachi’s Bengali community tries to fulfil his parents lifetime wish for Umrah, but things do not go as planned.

The eighth movie was Haibat, a drama directed by Ashar Khalid. The film was based on the life of Ayesha whose sudden change in mood quickly turns a sweet moment into something uncomfortable.

The ninth and the last movie of the day was called Sentinal Jet, a sci-fi film directed by Zain Ali Qazi. The movie showcased a world ruled by androids, in which Silas Jet tries to unravel the truth of his lover’s past.