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Screengrab from YouTube: Official Dhurandhar trailer 

Blogs

Bollywood continues to exploit Pakistan-focused narratives in films like Dhurandhar, misrepresenting real events and political imagery to drive nationalist sentiment and box-office success.

Why is Bollywood so obsessed with Pakistan?

Simran Siraj

KARACHI: The 4th European Film Festival (EUFF) 2025 successfully concluded its Karachi chapter last weekend at the Karachi Film School, celebrating international cinema and cultural dialogue.&nbsp; Hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan and curated by Olomopolo Media, the two-day event showcased 19 feature films and 10 short films from EU member states, emphasizing cinema&rsquo;s unique power to foster human connection and resilience. The festival now moves to Lahore after having offered audiences in Karachi and Islamabad a diverse program of comedies, dramas, and documentaries exploring universal themes, including identity, climate change, and human resilience.&nbsp; Among the films screened were &quot;Behind the Curtain of High Mountains&quot; (Czech Republic), &quot;Without Air&quot; (Hungary), &quot;That They May Face the Rising Sun&quot; (Ireland), and &quot;The Olive Tree&quot; (Spain).&nbsp; The short film lineup included &quot;HABĀ&quot;, &quot;White Ribbons&quot;, &quot;Diamond &amp; Narcissus&quot; (Austria), and &quot;A Sea of Trash&quot; (Portugal). The event drew a particularly strong youth demographic.&nbsp; University students from the media, arts, and communications departments attended the festival not just for the screenings but for an immersive, interactive classroom experience. A particular focus of the festival was bringing the big screen experience to those who rarely access it.&nbsp; Kanwal Khoosat, Executive Director of Olomopolo Media, reflected on the power of this access.&nbsp; &ldquo;It was the first time for so many. We have met people, students, young girls, adults, watching a film on a big screen for the first time in their lives,&rdquo; Khoosat shared, calling the moment of shared discovery the &ldquo;best part&rdquo; of her work. The exposure to global narratives proved invaluable for aspiring filmmakers.&nbsp; Shafia, a student from the Institute of Business Management in Karachi, said, &ldquo;As an aspiring photographer, this is a brilliant opportunity to be exposed to such storytelling and see how different cultures frame their narratives.&rdquo; Building community through filmLeading actors and filmmakers present at the festival highlighted its significance as a platform for genuine dialogue and artistic participation, setting it apart from other cultural activities. Pakistani actor and director Sania Saeed praised the communal experience, noting that cinema and theater provide a profound type of &ldquo;community building&rdquo; that sports cannot match. &nbsp;She argued that art is inherently collaborative.&nbsp; &ldquo;Arts are not competitive .&hellip; It&#39;s all about synchronizing,&rdquo; Saeed said.&nbsp; She added that the festival allowed young audiences to see quality filmmaking that looks &quot;very different from what they see on Netflix,&quot; creating a more valuable viewing experience. &quot;Joyland&quot; actor Ali Junejo agreed with Saeed and asserted the need for broader access: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very rare for us to have film festivals here in Pakistan broadly speaking .... I think more people need to watch films. More people need to participate in films.&rdquo; Bridging global crises: from floods to wildfiresRaimundas Karoblis, the European Union Ambassador to Pakistan, emphasized that films serve as a powerful tool for global solidarity, making universal issues relatable at the local level. Ambassador Karoblis, in an exclusive conversation with Pakistan TV Digital, said that the festival proves that &ldquo;Cinema is for everyone.&rdquo;&nbsp; He highlighted how the films actively confront global crises: &ldquo;While Pakistan battles climate change with floods, southern Europe has wildfires.&rdquo; He added that the festival provides essential context, showing that &ldquo;the human story and the resilience needed to face them are the same everywhere.&rdquo; EUFF 2025 will conclude its mission of connection and conversation in Lahore on November 22 and 23.

Culture

The 4th European Film Festival 2025 in Pakistan showcased 29 EU films, fostering cultural dialogue, youth engagement, and global solidarity through cinema across Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore.

European cinema sparks dialogue on resilience, identity and climate across Pakistan

MOSCOW: With Hollywood boycotting the Russian market over Moscow&#39;s offensive on Ukraine, French films are one of the few cultural windows Russians have left to the West. And even as relations between Paris and Moscow have sunk to their lowest in decades, French cinema has retained its popularity as aficionados seek a big-screen dose of &quot;art de vivre&quot;, the French philosophy of living well and savoring the moment. &quot;French films create a colorful bubble where I want to stay,&quot; Alexandra told AFP, allowing her to &quot;pause my thoughts about what&#39;s going on in the world.&quot; The Moscow cinema hall showing Cedric Klapisch&#39;s dramatic comedy &quot;Colors of Time&quot; -- recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival -- was crowded. Other French films offer a range, from fresh releases such as Luc Besson&#39;s &quot;Dracula&quot; and Quentin Dupieux&#39;s &quot;The Piano Accident&quot; to Ren&eacute; Cl&eacute;ment&#39;s cult classic &quot;Purple Noon&quot;, starring Alain Delon. Russia was the top export market for French films in 2023, and second in 2024 by ticket sales, according to Unifrance, a French cultural body promoting cinema abroad. This comes even as pirate copies of Hollywood films were still being shown in some Russian cinemas. &nbsp;Life-savingThe popularity has endured even as France hit Russia with an unprecedented number of sanctions over the Ukraine offensive, and the Kremlin and Elysee deploy increasingly sharp rhetoric against each other. French President Emmanuel Macron called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin an &quot;ogre&quot; and &quot;predator&quot; earlier this year -- drawing rebukes from officials in Moscow. But big box office releases have kept flowing, with 73 French films hitting Russian cinemas last year. In 2023, animated film &quot;Miraculous&quot; scored more than three million viewers in Russia -- the largest audience for a French film in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. &quot;It would be foolish in this situation to abandon the country that invented cinema,&quot; Konstantin Ernst, the sanctioned head of Russia&#39;s state-run Channel One, told AFP.&nbsp; &quot;The subtlety, depth, and aestheticism of French cinema are closely aligned with the Russian soul,&quot; he added. Many Asian and Latin American producers have tried to fill the void in the Russian market by the formal absence of Hollywood movies -- but with little success. For Marina, a 33-year-old who works at a law firm, they have a &quot;different energy&quot;. &quot;French or European cinema is closer to me in terms of its atmosphere and elegance,&quot; she told AFP. It is &quot;essential, even life-saving&quot;, she added. Different way of livingRussians have for centuries sought to establish cultural bridges to France -- &quot;from French literature in the 19th century to the cinema that replaced it,&quot; Joel Chapron, a French expert on Russian cinema, told AFP. It is &quot;a kind of cultural diplomacy&quot;, he added, offering a &quot;glimpse into the culture they&#39;ve always loved... and an alternative to propaganda.&quot; As Alexandra put it: &quot;Interwoven for centuries, our two cultures are continuing their dialogue.&quot; Even during the Cold War, French cinema was widely popular behind the Iron Curtain. The 1952 swashbuckling comedy &quot;Fanfan la Tulipe&quot; starring Gerard Philippe attracted some 30 million viewers. French actors have also remained high-profile celebrities in Russia. Disgraced star Gerard Depardieu was even granted citizenship in 2013. Unifrance has defended its decision not to join Hollywood in boycotting the Russian market over the Ukraine offensive. &quot;Banning culture would mean severing ties with the Russian population,&quot; a spokesperson told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Cinema was a way of &quot;providing a glimpse to another culture... and to a different way of living,&quot; they added. Channel One&#39;s Ernst hailed that decision as &quot;wise&quot;. Distributors agree. &quot;Closing doors is never helpful,&quot; said Nadezhda Motina, president of Arna Media, which sells French films in Russia. &quot;We must show Russians another world with its values and bring a little sun into cold water,&quot; she said, referring to French writer Francoise Sagan&#39;s novel &quot;Sunlight on Cold Water&quot;.

 French director Cedric Klapisch's dramatic comedy "Colours of Time"

Film & TV

Despite political tensions and sanctions, French cinema thrives in Russia. With Hollywood absent, French films dominate screens, sustaining a historic bond and providing Russians solace, beauty, and “art de vivre.”

Articles tagged with "Films"

Why is Bollywood so obsessed with Pakistan?

European cinema sparks dialogue on resilience, identity and climate across Pakistan

French cinema booms in Russia despite political rift