A new crop of young educated film makers have entered Pakistan’s film industry. We have seen something like ten new films in the current year alone, directed and produced by these new names. To their credit, they did not inherit any baggage from the old style industry that lay dead already for quite some years.

That there had been a death of a particular kind of films in Pakistan was established beyond doubt. But you couldn’t bet if there was potential for creating something new from its ashes. The last three to four years have proved immensely productive in that context. The slush of creativity has ensured there is no chasing of the beaten track. Each new film is a genre of its own. But whether that qualifies as good cinema or is worthy of critical acclaim is still in the grey territory.

There is now a craving for making and watching something other than Bollywood and Hollywood and this craving is not just all about the "promote Pakistani cinema" mantra. A lot of the flaws in these films seem justified when you consider that they are operating in a virtual vacuum, technologically, distribution-wise and so on. A film is essentially a commercial venture and one understands that the industry will grow as a whole when there are decent returns. And the film makers are learning the ropes.

There is a steady increase in screens albeit in big cities and at least one film Bin Roye has fetched decent returns from abroad as well.

It must be stated that this revival of cinema-going culture, that arguably happened alongside the distibutors’ decision to import Indian films, caters to a particular class only. The exorbitant ticket cost to these slick theatres has ensured the exclusion of the real masses. One wonders if Pakistan’s new cinema will bring the masses back and that there will be films and screens for them too.

Right now, the possibility of making a film of your choice in this country is very real. This owes to a lot of factors including the accessibility of digital technology, the talent offered by television, the trained graduates coming out of film schools here and abroad and most of all a passion for making a film. Our Special Report, today, attempts to look at all these developments in detail.

Read the feature story: Pakistan’s new cinema