Speaking on the sidelines of the World Culture Festival, Pakistani filmmaker Faysal Quraishi said film enthusiasts look forward to such festivals every year because the festivals offer more than screenings.
Filmmakers from different countries attend to represent their work, and the event creates opportunities for meaningful interaction and discussion.
He said such gatherings help filmmakers understand how projects begin and how the filmmaking process starts. Initial discussions and exchanges of ideas matter especially to people working in the industry.
“These festivals also inspire young people. If they want to pursue filmmaking, they see different pathways and learn how they can move forward and create better work,” he said.
Responding to a question about how audiences responded after cinemas screened his film and the World Culture Festival later screened it, and about the criticism it drew on social media after release, the filmmaker said many viewers had enjoyed the film.
“Not everyone will like every film. Even after watching a film like The Odyssey, some people come out saying, ‘What did I just watch? What kind of film was that?’ So our film can also have shortcomings. Someone not liking it is nothing unusual,” he said.
Faysal Quraishi ranks among Pakistan’s highest-paid actors. He has received more than 20 nationally recognised awards. He first gained recognition for playing the leading role of Boota in the television series Boota from Toba Tek Singh (1999), and he has worked on more than 200 projects. Quraishi hosted a morning show titled Muskurati Morning with Faisal Qureshi from 2010 to 2014. From 2016 to 2019, he hosted the morning show Salam Zindagi. He made his film acting debut in 1992. He became a producer in 2017 with the production house Connect Studios, and he owns a film production house named Faysal Quraishi Films.
He added that social media had given everyone a platform to express opinions, and he welcomed both appreciation and criticism.
“Some people praised the film, while others did not like it. That’s fine. It is good that people share their feedback,” he said.
Clarifying his response to the criticism circulating online, he said he had not directed the video at any particular individual. Rather, he had made it in response to a message that had reached him.
