Daily Times

LAHORE: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has launched Lahore Talkies which is a shortfilm festival based on films of Walled City of Lahore, Daily Times learnt on Tuesday.

The first season of the festival and film screening would take place in September inside the newly restored Royal Kitchen of Lahore Fort, whereas the registration and submission for short films has been announced by the WCLA.

WCLA Media & Marketing Deputy Director Tania Qureshi informed Daily Times that previously, WCLA had been holding photo exhibitions since 2014 and so with the change in trend and technology, WCLA planned to launch a film festival this year.

“The main objective is to highlight the tangible and intangible culture and heritage of the Walled City of Lahore through films as we have done a lot through photographs. The festival is based on short films of one to three minutes so that the film remains interesting for the audience. The registration for the festival is open for all and any filmmaker can send in their entry for this festival. The best three films will be awarded with a handsome prize money,” Tania Qureshi said.

On being asked about the criteria of registration, she said that there is a dedicated website made for the festival with all the details and anyone can upload their film on it or send it to WCLA office.

“The name of the festival Lahore Talkies is inspired by Pakistan Talkies which was the first ever cinema in Lahore during the British Raj and still exists inside Taxali Gate Lahore, but not very well functioning. We planned to start on this unique festival to encourage filmmakers and students to showcase their city, the way they see it and that is why the overall theme of the festival is I Am Walled City,” she added.

A filmmaker and organiser of several international film festivals, Umar Saeed, while talking to Daily Times said that it was a one of its kind initiative by a government orgasization to highlight the heritage and culture of the heritage hub of Pakistan.

“They have given nice themes for films like pigeon flying, a metal worker’s life, bazaars of the city, street life, traditional games of Lahore, food and cuisines, monuments’ story etc and I think previously very less has been done on the cultural aspect of this city. I see that other countries of the world highlight their soft image by showcasing their culture through short films and I agree that it was something that was lacking here in Pakistan and I am hopeful that through such initiatives, we will be able to build a positive image of our country across the globe. I would encourage the youngsters to participate in this festival and bring forth new ideas to project their city,” Umar Saeed added.

A student of filmmaking of a local university, Salman Ahmad said that he did come across the post on social media and so along with his class fellows, he was working on a short film for this festival.

“I think that we need such platforms to showcase our talent and explore the heritage sites of Pakistan. After reading about this festival we were inquisitive to see the Walled City and that was the first time we experienced the fascinating streets and culture of Lahore which we could not have done otherwise. I was amazed to see the hidden treasures of the city and we were literally confused about what to film as there are endless topics hidden inside this small heritage site. There are shrines, mosques, markets, streets, havelis, food and monuments and I think that people of our age really need to see all this. I think that this festival will be an eye opener for those who cannot go to the city and experience all this as reaching to the Walled City is no doubt a hard task due to ill managed traffic and animal carts. Some of my class fellows thought that the submission fee of Rs 500 was more for students, but we understand that fact that WCLA wants to have serious and quality films,” Salman Ahmed said.

WCLA marketing director said that they were planning this festival for the last one year and after thorough research and homework, they have finally launched it.

Published in Daily Times, June 20^th 2018.