Global Scholarly Selection for first Pakistani feature film
Associated Press Service
New York, USA
It is a pride to see young
Filmmakers making Pakistan proud by being recognized on an International
platform. Pakistani feature film ‘GUMM’ (LOST)has been nominated in not one, but
three International Film Festivals, so far.Last month GUMM was nominated in ‘AAB
International Film Festival’ in India and then in ‘CKF International Film
Festival’, United Kingdom. This month, it was first “Officially Selected” in
‘Festigious International Film Festival’, then was qualified as a “Semi-Finalist”
amongst 30 top films from around the world and now it has been qualified
amongst top 10 filmsas a “Finalist”. Festigious International Film Festival is
also known as the ‘Queen of International Film Festivals’ and takes place in
the heart of Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, USA. This acknowledgement from
International Critics all around the world is yet another proof that Pakistan
has all the right talent to compete in any International platform.
The film stars Sami Khan, Shameen
Khan and Shamoon Abbasi in the main leads. The genre revolves around thrilling
action and dramatic romance. The film has three songs in it as well.
The first look poster of GUMM
that was released recently on social media looks highly promising and
intriguing and it perfectly explains the plot of the film. First-look grabs
your attention in a glimpse and I can bet you cannot have enough of it. The depth
within the poster gets you more and more involved and makes you ask questions every
time you see it.
The film has been Written and
Directed by Kanza Zia and Ammar Lasani who both hold foreign Masters Degree in
Filmmaking. While talking to such highly qualified people from a very good
background, I felt very optimistic about the future of the reviving Pakistan
Film Industry. Only such young, energetic and visionary directors can ensure
the revival of Pakistan Film Industry.
The film has been produced by
Shakeel Anjum, who is a literary person and keeps a keen eye on the society in
general. “I feel proud of investing my time, effort and money in the right
project and team”, he said. When inquired about the challenges a film producer
faces in Pakistan, he answered, “Well, it’s no less than a miracle to complete
a film in Pakistan successfully, but in the end it’s all worth it.”
I also inquired the Directors
about the challenges they faced, and they optimistically answered that, “Making
a film in Pakistan is a difficult task as the director has to look after
everything at every stage along with not letting go of the vision.”
Ammar Lasani added, “You can’t
expect to make a good film with a bad script, so the foundation of the film in
form of script needs to be rock-solid, then comes the production and
post-production phase.”Kanza Zia said, “Pre-production phase is the most
important of all. If the homework is strong, from story to storyboard, and the
director is crystal clear about his/her vision, the quality of film will never
be compromised. Since, film is a director’s medium and it is his/her
responsibility to ensure that the vision and quality are not compromised, and that
is exactly what we are being paid off for today in form of International acclamation.”There
is no doubt that a Director’s vision makes a film, and the duo seemed to know
their job.
When explored about their
experiences regarding working with the actors, Kanza Zia said, “It was a
pleasant experience to have a dedicated and hardworking actor like Sami Khan on
board.”Ammar Lasani added, “I’ll put it into Sami’s own words, he is a
director’s actor.”Regarding Shamoon Abbasi they stated, “Shamoon’s acting
potential and his physical getup had never been explored or experimented before
by any Director. He will certainly surprise the masses and even himself.” Both
the Directors appreciated Shameen Khan’s hard work as well stating that,
“Shameen catered the role’s requirement and lived up to our expectation.”
When asked about the time their
masterpiece took to complete, they told that from the conception of idea, it
took them two years, day in day out, to finish the project. “Film requires a
lot of patience, dedication, faith and plentiful amount of money.”
Mr. Shakeel Anjum confirmed that
they are expecting to hear a positive response from other international
platforms as well and only after that they shall move towards the local and
international theatrical releases. “I feel very confident that we will receive
the same response from the masses as we did from International film festivals.
The dates of the releases are not confirm yet.” He, however, confirmed that GUMM
will be released this very year.