Films
Pakistani Film ‘The Curfew’ Makes it to Venice Biennale
Pakistani filmmakers are adorning international screens. Director Shehrezad Maher’s recent film The Curfew took stage at Venice Biennale on 4 September.
The film stars Sathya Sridharan, Balinder Johal, Sara Haider, Rajesh Bose, Chris Thorn and Salwa Khan. It is produced by Lindsay Blair Goeldner and Meetra Javed. Its cinematography has been done by Dustin Lane and production design by Ana Novacic. It is being distributed by Fae Pictures and Baby Daal Productions.
The 19-minute film is about Pakistani American Ayaan who cares for his frailing grandmother. As he does so, the two fight the silence of a language barrier and try to learn each other’s language. The film shows how histories and ghosts from a colonial past can affect the present.

Shehrezad Maher won the 2023 Islamic Scholarship Fund’s National Film Grant for The Curfew. She is a New York-based artist and filmmaker and her films have been screened at institutions and festivals such as Visions du Réel, RIDM, the LA Film Forum, Anthology Film Archives, UnionDocs, and Experiments in Cinema.
Her feature film script, Theory of Colors, was one of the three projects selected for the 2023 Hamptons Film Screenwriters Lab and received the Melissa Mathison Screenwriters Fund and the Cinestory Feature Retreat’s Hagan Hicks Underrepresented Women’s Voices Scholarship. 
The Curfew was the only Pakistani film that was screened at the Venice Film Festival this year. Previously, Saim Sadiq’s Darling screened and won Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.
Also Read: Zindagi Tamasha: First Pakistani Film to Premiere on TikTok
Films
Sonya Hussyn celebrates ‘Deemak’ win, pays tribute to its ‘pillars’
Actor Sonya Hussyn has received the International Best Actor Achievement Award for her performance in Deemak, an accolade she described as particularly significant because it was presented on home soil at the Sunday Icon Awards.
Sharing a carousel of pictures from the ceremony on Instagram, Hussyn wrote, “Winning Best Actor internationally for Deemak was an extraordinary honour, but receiving this recognition at home feels especially close to my heart.”She dedicated the honour to the team behind the film, naming director Rafay Rashdi, producer Murad, and writer Abu Jinns, along with co-stars Samina Peerzada, Faysal Quraishi, Bushra Ansari, and cinematographer Rana Kamran. “This film would be nothing without you all,” she added.She thanked the Sunday Times and Sunday Icon Awards, urging the organisers to “keep celebrating art.” She also credited her styling team Ozi and designer Fahad Hussayn for making the evening “even more special” and “extraordinary.”
For her red-carpet look, Hussyn separately thanked designer Karishma Kewalramani, noting that “it takes a lot of effort to create something” with such intricate detail. She also thanked Saad Hassan for “managing everything so perfectly at the last minute”.
Hussyn’s caption also turned towards the people closest to her. She thanked her parents and siblings Moni, Salman and Saima, writing that “every achievement of mine begins with your love, prayers and support”.
She gave a special mention to her sister, actor Sana Hussyn, joking that Sana had “turned into a zombie towards the end of the night” after completing back-to-back shoots to attend the ceremony. She also thanked Rasikh Ismail Khan, whom she described as her “forever friend” and “father figure”, adding that she had “missed him so much at the ceremony”.
Hussyn also expressed gratitude to her partner Mansoor, whom she referred to by the nickname “Dazara Qarara”, for “always being by my side”. “This award is not the end of the journey; it is a reminder to keep telling stories that matter,” she wrote.
She concluded with a prayer: “May Allah protect our artists, our children, our talent and this beautiful country.”
The latest honour adds to a growing list of international recognition for Deemak. Hussyn previously won Best Supporting Actress at the inaugural Diamond Butterfly Award in Moscow in November.
The film, which also stars Quraishi, Peerzada, Ansari and Javed Sheikh, represented Pakistan among 34 entries from 17 countries at the event.
Deemak had also reportedly crossed Rs175 million at the domestic box office by that time.
Read more: Sonya Hussyn’s Love for Ushna Shah’s Baby
Films
‘Mera Lyari’ put forward for oscar nomination race
Pakistani film Mera Lyari produced under the banner of the Sindh government, has entered the race for an Oscar nomination.
Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon chaired a meeting of the Information Department’s Film Board to review the development. Officials evaluated the progress of provincial film initiatives, active projects, future strategies, and partnerships with OTT streaming platforms.
The board confirmed the completion of the first phase of film projects managed by the Information Department.
Discussions are going on with national and international OTT platforms and institutions to secure screening, distribution, and promotional partnerships for the lineup.
“The inclusion of the film ‘Mera Lyari’ in the race for an Oscar nomination brings honour to Pakistan, particularly Sindh,” Memon stated during the meeting. “If the film secures an Oscar nomination, the outcome will mark a milestone and present the art, culture, and creativity of Sindh on the global stage.”
Memon added that the government aims to establish Sindh as a hub for filmmaking while offering local talent access to national and international opportunities.
Information Secretary Kashif Gulzar Sheikh, Director General Information Moez Pirzada, Director Films Hizbullah Memon and board members Waqas Rizvi, Salim Khan, Ehtesham Ansari, and Rab Nawaz attended the meeting alongside department officials.
Read more: Pakistan’s ‘Mera Lyari’ Trailer Drops as a Powerful Answer to Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar
Films
Pakistani Influencer Finds Sanjay Dutt’s Pakistani Home
Sanjay Dutt is one of the most successful stars of Bollywood. He has done great in his life and career despite countless controversies and legal battles. He has a huge fan following in Pakistan as well. His parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt were also big superstars who ruled over the industry.
Sanjay Dutt’s father Sunil Dutt hailed from Pakistan. He was born in a village Naara Khadda in Jhelum Pakistan. Sanjay has previously shared how his father always wanted to go and see his real home. Pakistani influencer Sameel Atif decided to find Sanjay’s ancestral home and went to visit it.
Sameel Atif showed the Dutt house in his video and it went viral for all the right reasons.
The internet is reacting to Sanjay Dutt’s home in Pakistan and people are sending love. One said, “This is how we all used to be before partition.” Another added, “So wholesome. This is why I pay the internet bill.” One went, “Amazing.”
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