Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Dr Nedim Makarevic, Ambassador of Bosnia Herzegovina has said the good films are fusion of diverse emotions and expression of heart.

He was speaking at opening ceremony of two days film festival organised by Foundation of Arts, Culture and Education (FACE), with the support of Bosnian and French embassies at Pakistan National Council of the Arts on Friday.

The sole aim of the film festival of FACE was to bring Pakistani and international film makers, producers, the event features filmmakers, writers, actors, produces on one platform, who have come from within and outside the country to showcase their films to the Pakistani audience. The audience included diplomats from eastern, western countries and UN officials.

Bosnian Ambassador told Daily Times at the sidelines of the festival that three Bosnian documentary films were screened in the festival and Bosnian culture and traditions were highlighted in these films. “I enjoyed a lot while singing with Pakistani friends”, he said.

Earlier, addressing the ceremony Makarevic said that good movies are not held back by language barriers. “We will gladly read sub-titles if it’s that great. Although there might be some cultural tit-bits that are “lost in translation- the big themes of human beings the questions of existence of mankind are universal”, he added.

Literature, the visual, performing arts, music and everything mixes and combines into this accessible space, the Bosnian diplomat maintained, adding the film is the most accessible of all the arts in many ways and many people round the world will never visit some of the best museums, but nearly everyone will have seen movies at some point in their life. The most, good films manage to combine a lot of different emotions and feelings all the same time.

FACE Film Festival Director, Mehnaz Parveen told Daily Times that it is second film festival and first one was held last year.

It is a best platform to exchange films of different countries here and people will be able to see Pakistani but also foreign stuff here, Mehnaz highlighted the aim of the festival, adding in Pakistan from some year’s film industry is trying to stand on its feet. It is not necessary that all the films prepared in Pakistan will be released properly. So, this is also platform for those films too which are not released here.

This is platform to exchange ideas, work, and experience and enrich professionalism, she maintained.

Earlier, in the festival Bosnian Ambassador performed Bosnian music along with prominent Pakistani Singer Arieb Azhar and Zeeja Fazli.

Three Bosnian films were screened in the festival, in which, “I am Adnan and I will not blow you up (documentary)”, “Weather will be and one way ticket (short fictions)” shown in the festival. Pakistani film Moor, Zindha Bhag (Get out if you can) was screened on the first day of the film festival.

On the second day of the festival documentary film Noor was presented by Embassy of France and Alliance Francais. Directed by Cogla Zenciri and Guillaume Giovanetti and it’s story is based on transgender community problems in Pakistan.

Mina Walking, Dari language film, directed by Yasef Baraki and produced by Andrew Korogi.

Special musical performance of Wild Man Goes enthralled people. Doya, Pakistani documentary directed by Kashif Raza, Fish, short fiction from Iran, which was directed by Saman Hossein puor were shown in the event.

Animated films, the animals, short animation from Singapore directed by Mark Wee, Lawrence of Drigh Roadand Kolachi both directed by Mazhar Zaidi were also screened in the festival.

Panel on entertainment versus social good in cinema with Bill Mengolos, award winning documentary filmmaker and John Anderson, eminent film critic was also held. Both responded different queries from the audience. First day panel discussion was attended by filmmakers Jami Mehmood and Yasir Jaswal who highlighted various challenges of filmmaking in Pakistan.