ISLAMABAD: Film buffs across Pakistan will experience European cinema once again at the Third European Film Festival (EUFF) 2024, commencing on 15th May 2024 at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad. The screening events will take place at 11 locations in Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, and Gujrat between 15th and 29th May 2024.
The film festival will showcase over 20 films produced by the Member States of the European Union covering diverse genres, including comedy, thrillers, documentaries, and fiction. These films explore wide-ranging themes such as family, childhood, romance, friendship, climate change, history, war, economic hardship, human rights, disability, and more. Additionally, the festival will feature several equally exciting Pakistani short films by emerging filmmakers and studios.
Each film selected for the festival is carefully handpicked to cater to an audience with an appetite for stories with global appeal. The festival presents a unique opportunity for Pakistani audiences to rediscover Europe; its diversified culture, and modern and adaptive societies.
The film screenings will be followed by panel discussions, which will bring the audiences face to face with some of the prominent names in the Pakistani film and television industry, including filmmakers, writers or actors. In Islamabad, renowned playwright Bee Gul, actor Sarwat Gilani, and rising star Ali Junejo will discuss how the world can be viewed through films and the importance of gaining a global perspective. Omar Khalid Butt will moderate the discussion. Many eminent personalities will join the festival, including Zafar Mairaj, Haya Fatima Iqbal and Dr Quratulain Bakhteari in Quetta, Irfan Khoosat, Tamkenat Mansoor and Faseeh Bari Khan in Gujrat, and Tazeen Hussain, Tazeen Bari, Saim Sadiq and Kanwal Khoosat in Peshawar.
The festival also brings with it, in each city, a masterclass titled “Decoding European Cinema” by filmmaker, writer and actor Ali Junejo. The masterclass is open and free for aspiring and practicing filmmakers, to help improve the understanding of world cinema and professional capacity building in the local film industry.
Other interesting features of the EUFF 2024 are interactive installations and a range of food stalls.
EUFF 2024 is open and free for the public, and will be held on the following dates at these venues:
15 May, Pakistan National Council of Arts, Islamabad
17 May, Iqra National University, Peshawar
23 May, Noori Naseer Khan Cultural Complex, Quetta,
29 May, University of Gujrat, Gujrat
The Third European Film Festival (EUFF) 2024 is curated and organized by Olomopolo Media, a leading platform for cultural and creative expression through performing arts and visual media as tools for social awareness, sensitization and advocacy and awareness with the aim to create room for collective ethical development and socio-cultural sophistication.
