ISLAMABAD: Pakistani filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s said on Saturday it was by “luck or something” that his film ‘Darling’ has landed a world premiere at the 86th Venice Film Festival this year, making it the first Pakistani film in history to get a “big three” screening.
The big three refers to the largest and most prestigious film festivals in the world in Berlin, Cannes and Venice, which is the oldest of the three.
But Sadiq, 28, whose masterpiece addresses taboo questions of gender in the Muslim majority country of 208 million people, said he had no idea his film would be accepted.
“I sent it in during the open submission call with zero expectations that it would be chosen,” Sadiq told Arab News on Saturday by telephone. “Through luck or something, we got in.”
Darling, set in a dance theater in Pakistan’s romantic, eastern city of Lahore, follows the story of a young boy named Shani, played by Abdullah Malik, and a transgender girl named Alina, played by Alina Khan, a trans female actor. This is Khan’s first ever on-screen role.
“The film follows the journey of these two people, exploring their relationship, questions of identity, and dance,” Sadiq said.
With a total run time of 16 minutes, Darling will show in the film festival’s new Orizzonti section, a competition of short films submitted from around the world. It is the micro version of Sadiq’s upcoming feature-length film “Gulabi,” which is currently in the funding stages of production.
After studying anthropology at the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Lahore, Sadiq said he decided to follow his passion for film, and went on to graduate in film studies from New York’s prestigious Columbia University.
His decision to pursue film-making came as a shock for his “very normal, very conservative” Pakistani family, he said, which follows a long line of traditional army careers.
“I remember when I told my parents about wanting to be a filmmaker, it was shocking for them,” Sadiq said. “Nobody does film especially from the family background I come from... so there was a big departure, a big leap of faith.”
“Nice Talking to You,” a 2018 short film by Sadiq, was an official selection at South by Southwest this year and Palm Springs International Shortfest 2019. Last year, he won Vimeo’s Best Director award at the Columbia University Film Festival.
“I was born and brought up (in Pakistan), and I am completely infatuated with our country,” Sadiq said. “I don’t want to portray Pakistan in a bad way or a good way... just trying to show a true image of Pakistan which is a mix of everything.”
In the future, Sadiq said he hopes to tell more Pakistani stories in a still fledgling industry.
“I think the industry is so new it can be an almost childlike space where we are deciding what to make of it,” he said. “Films do not have to be particularly mainstream or very commercial. Small indie or art-house films have a market and an audience.”
“The premiere and the honor of showing our film at the Venice Film Festival gives me hope that people who are trying to do something different can see it pay off,” he said.
This year’s Venice Film Festival will run from August 28 to September 7.
‘Through luck or something,’ Pakistani film lands Venice Film Festival premiere
‘Through luck or something,’ Pakistani film lands Venice Film Festival premiere
- Darling is the first Pakistani film ever to get a screening at one of the world’s ‘big three’ film festivals
- This year’s Venice Film Festival will run from August 28 to September 7
Pakistan orders four-day workweek, shuts schools to save fuel amid Middle East oil crisis
- The development comes as ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt oil supplies in Strait of Hormuz, push prices past $119 a barrel
- Islamabad bans government purchases, cuts fuel allocation for vehicles as well as workforce in public and private offices by 50 percent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced austerity measures, including a four-day work week, cuts in government expenditures and closure of schools, to offset the impact of rising global oil prices due to an ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Global fuel supply lines have been disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz, which supplies nearly a fourth of world oil consumption, after Tehran blocked it following United States-Israeli strikes on Iran and counterattacks against US interests in the Gulf region.
Oil prices surged more than 25 percent globally on Monday to $119.50 a barrel, the highest levels since mid-2022, as some major producers cut supplies and fears of prolonged shipping disruptions gripped the market due to the expanding US-Israeli war with Iran.
In his televised address on Sunday night, Sharif said global oil prices were expected to rise again in the coming days but vowed not to let the people bear their brunt, announcing austerity measures to lessen the impact of fuel price hikes.
“Fifty percent staff in public and private entities will work from home,” he announced, adding this would not be applicable to essential services. “Offices will remain open for four days a week. One-day additional off is being given to conserve oil, but it would not be applicable to banks.”
Sharif didn’t specify working days of the week and the government was likely to issue a notification in this regard.
He said a decrease of 50 percent was being made in fuel allocation for government vehicles immediately for the next two months, but they would not include ambulances and public buses.
“Cabinet members, advisers and special assistants will not draw salaries for the next two months, 25 percent salaries of parliamentarians are being deducted, two-day salaries of Grade 20 and above officers, or those who are paid Rs300,000 ($1,067) a month, are being deducted for public relief,” he said.
Similarly, there will be 20 percent reduction in public department expenses and a complete ban on the purchase of cars, furniture, air conditioners and other goods, according to the prime minister.
Foreign trips of ministers and other government officials will also be banned along with government dinners and iftar buffets, while teleconferences and online meetings will be given priority.
“All schools will be off for two weeks, starting from the end of this week, and all higher education institutions should immediately begin online classes,” he said.
Sharif’s comments were aired hours after Pakistani authorities said the country had “comfortable levels” of petroleum stocks and the supply chains were functioning smoothly, despite intensifying Middle East conflict.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said three oil shipments were due to reach Pakistan this week, state media reported.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Navy (PN) launched ‘Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr’ to safeguard national energy shipments, the Pakistani military said on Monday, amid disruptions to critical sea lanes due to the conflict.
The navy is conducting escort operations in close coordination with the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing. It is fully cognizant of the prevailing maritime situation and is actively monitoring and controlling the movement of merchant vessels to ensure their safe and secure transit.
“With approximately 90 percent of Pakistan’s trade conducted via sea, the operation aims to ensure that vital sea routes remain safe, secure, and uninterrupted,” the ISPR said on Monday. “Currently, PN ships are escorting 2 x Merchant Vessels, one of which is scheduled to arrive Karachi today.”
