Final road map for revival of Pakistan’s film, cinema industry to be presented to PM next week

KARACHI: A meeting on the preparation of a final roadmap for the revival of cinema and film industry in Pakistan was held at the ministry of national heritage and culture.

The meeting was chaired by Minister of State Huzaifa Rehman. It was attended by senior officers of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture along with prominent stakeholders of the film industry.

The stakeholders appreciated the fact that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken notice of the problems of the film and cinema industry and included this sector among his priorities. They suggested that the 2018 Film Policy provided a reasonable framework, and if it was implemented effectively after inclusion of the proposals and amendments of 2023, the film industry could stand on its own feet.

It was decided in the 2023 amendments to give the cinema industry the status of a regular industry, to review the tax system related to it and apply tax not only to new but also to old cinemas and spend Rs 1billion on it.

Renowned producer Satish Anand opined that in the past, film and cinema had not been among the top priorities of the government, and the prime minister’s focus on this sector was a welcome and historic step. Renowned film director Syed Noor said the film and cinema were not complete without each other; therefore, the revival of the industry should begin with the revival of content.

Representatives of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting assured the stakeholders that the 2018 Film Policy was being partially implemented, but now more rapid steps would be taken for its full implementation.

The minister of state said the revival of the film industry was among the prime minister’s top priorities. He sought suggestions from the stakeholders for the improvement of the film industry and said the final roadmap would be presented to the prime minister next week.

He expressed the hope that Pakistan’s film and cinema industry would soon regain recognition on the global stage.