{"id":1701,"date":"2026-02-27T08:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=1701"},"modified":"2026-02-27T08:05:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:05:26","slug":"khoosats-lali-marks-milestone-for-pakistan-cinema-in-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=1701","title":{"rendered":"Khoosat\u2019s \u2018Lali\u2019 Marks Milestone for Pakistan Cinema in Berlin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>BERLIN:<\/strong> The Berlin International Film Festival witnessed a historic moment this week as it screened its first all-Pakistani produced feature film, marking a significant milestone for Pakistan\u2019s cinema industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLali,\u201d directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, had its world premiere on Thursday to a packed audience, including members of Berlin\u2019s Pakistani community and Pakistan\u2019s ambassador to Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Punjabi-language black comedy revolves around Sajawal, played by Channan Hanif, and his new bride Zeba, portrayed by Mamya Shajaffar. Set in a working-class neighbourhood of Sahiwal, the story explores rumours surrounding Zeba, whose previous suitors reportedly died under mysterious circumstances, leading locals to believe she is cursed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking after the screening, Khoosat described the film\u2019s debut at the prestigious festival as both an achievement and a responsibility. He termed the selection a \u201cvalidation\u201d of a story deeply rooted in local culture and idiom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The film blends boisterous Punjabi humour with themes of desire, sexuality, trauma and subtle elements of the supernatural. One notable character, Sohni Ammi \u2014 Sajawal\u2019s strong-willed mother \u2014 sets the tone early in the film with celebratory gunfire at the wedding that results in an accidental injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Khoosat expressed hope that international recognition would help revive Pakistan\u2019s struggling film industry, which he said has experienced a gradual decline over the past two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He noted that Pakistan once produced more than 100 films annually but has since faced challenges adapting to changing audience preferences and competition from other media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The filmmaker said a new generation of Pakistani directors and producers is emerging and requires institutional support and facilitation to strengthen the domestic industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Observers say the inclusion of \u201cLali\u201d at the Berlin festival could provide renewed visibility to Pakistani cinema on the global stage and encourage broader opportunities for local storytellers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BERLIN: The Berlin International Film Festival witnessed a historic moment this week as it screened its first all-Pakistani produced feature film, marking a significant milestone for Pakistan\u2019s cinema industry. \u201cLali,\u201d&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1393,1392,1390,1394,1391],"class_list":["post-1701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-showbiz","tag-berlin-film-festival","tag-lali-film","tag-pakistani-cinema","tag-sahiwal","tag-sarmad-sultan-khoosat"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - 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