Pakistani cinemas to screen Iranian, Turkish films

As the ban on Indian content persists, Pakistani cinema owners and film distributors hope to bring about a change in the cinema experience for audiences by screening Iranian, Turkish and hopefully Chinese and South Korean films.

As the ban on Indian content persists, Pakistani cinema owners and film distributors hope to bring about a change in the cinema experience for audiences by screening Iranian, Turkish and hopefully Chinese and South Korean films.

Film distribution company IMGC's Chairman Shaikh Amjad Rashid and Mohsin Yaseen of Cinepax management speak with Images on screening foreign films in Pakistan.

"It's in the initial states right now. We've decided to screen films from Iran and Turkey to fill the gap of Indian films," says Rashid.  "Yes. We are looking at different options from around the world to fill the gap, as Turkish dramas had a good following in Pakistan, we feel their movies will have a good impact too. Currently, we only play films from Hollywood, Bollywood and Pakistan," echoes Mohsin Yaseen of Cinepax (Karachi) management.

As the ban on Indian content persists, Pakistani cinema owners and film distributors hope to bring about a change in the cinema experience for audiences by screening Iranian, Turkish and hopefully Chinese and South Korean films.

Film distribution company IMGC's Chairman Shaikh Amjad Rashid and Mohsin Yaseen of Cinepax management speak with Images on screening foreign films in Pakistan.

"It's in the initial states right now. We've decided to screen films from Iran and Turkey to fill the gap of Indian films," says Rashid.

"Yes. We are looking at different options from around the world to fill the gap, as Turkish dramas had a good following in Pakistan, we feel their movies will have a good impact too. Currently, we only play films from Hollywood, Bollywood and Pakistan," echoes Mohsin Yaseen of Cinepax (Karachi) management.

The hit Turkish drama 'Ishq e Mamnoon' went viral in Pakistan and girls couldn't sotp gushing over Behlül. 

This move comes because local productions aren't enough to sustain Pakistani cinemas. 

Says Yaseen, "Hollywood has a set number of releases around the year and these films have a certain market following. Bollywood has a huge market following but due to the political scenario there will always be uncertainty. Pakistani movies are coming in but they are limited in quantity, and are not enough to run 52 weeks of cinema business in a year. And Iranian films have good international repute, some Iranian directors have won international awards as well."

However, both agree that this won't necessarily be a permanent move. The chairman explains: "If the ban on Indian films is lifted, this will fizzle out because they (Iranian and Turkish films) will not yield a profitable response; they're very different from Pakistani culture."