LAHORE: Pakistani filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s masterpiece “Darling” has won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at the prestigious 76th Venice Film Festival.
The Orizzonti section of the film festival is dedicated to new trends in international cinema, featuring short films and feature films competing from around the world.
Written and directed by Sadiq, Darling tells the story of a transgender girl vying for the spotlight and a naive boy, who fall in love in a Lahore theater.
“I wanted to do a film that talked about sexuality in Pakistan because it’s something we don’t speak about in films, books or television and it’s still very rare to find a piece of art that sheds light on this topic,” Sadiq told Arab News, and said his inspiration came from another film about mujra (a South Asian dance format for women) that he had already scripted and titled ‘Gulab,’ which means rose.
“I was inspired to make Darling as a protest about what we can and cannot talk about in Pakistan. However, I didn’t want to portray it in a depressing and tragic way... rather (in) a celebratory way. I wanted to set it in the subculture of the mujra dance world that is extremely vibrant and also a culture that we don’t own or talk about,” he said.
On the impact his film might go on to have on the future of Pakistani cinema, Sadiq said he hoped it would spark more originality and less replication, for an industry he said was undergoing its “rebirth.”
“I hope this film allows people to redefine what you can make as a Pakistani film and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a commercial ‘masala’ film,” he said.
“We’re at a stage in the industry where its rebirth is happening and we don’t have to replicate the films of Hollywood, Bollywood or Iran. We can be more specific to our culture and our cinematic language. I also hope the visibility from Darling can land more work for Alina and hopefully other trans actors who want to work in the entertainment industry but don’t find a space where they feel welcome,” he said.
The film’s stars are Abdullah Malik and Alina Khan. Khan, who is a transgender girl off-camera as well, made her acting debut in the award-winning film and was selected despite stiff competition.
“Casting for “Darling” was not an easy task,” Sana Jafri, casting and assistant director for the film, told Arab News.
“We wanted to stay true to the essence of the film, set in a stage theater in Lahore. It’s tougher to find and work with non-actors, but we went through that route as these new and raw actors bring a certain level of authenticity, honesty and nuance on-screen,” she said.
Jafri has worked with the transgender community in the eastern city of Lahore for the last three years and was also nominated for a prestigious national award for her music video, “Madam,” which highlighted the everyday lives of transgender persons in Pakistan. Jafri met Khan through her various projects in the community and they quickly became friends.
When the Darling team struggled to find the right fit for the character of the lead female role despite scores of auditions, Jafri set up a meeting between Sadiq and Khan.
“It was not an audition that we went for, but just to get to know a transgender dancer and her life. Since we were at her place, she was more comfortable and opened up more and when Saim saw her dance, lost in her own world, we shared a glance and knew... she is our darling,” Jafri said.
After years of brutal persecution, transgender Pakistanis gained recognition in 2009 when the Supreme Court granted them special status with rights equal to other citizens, and ruled they could receive national identity cards as a “third sex.”
Through the making of the film, Jafri and Sadiq said they took cues from Khan to more authentically tailor the role to her real-life experiences.
Darling is set to screen next at the Toronto International Film Festival which runs until September 15 this year.
Pakistan’s short ‘Darling’ wins big at Venice Film Festival
Pakistan’s short ‘Darling’ wins big at Venice Film Festival
- Filmmaker Saim Sadiq says his masterpiece is a protest against taboo and a celebration of Pakistan’s transgender persons
- Darling is set to screen next at Toronto International Film Festival
Karachi hosts scaled-down Lux Style Awards as industry reflects on recognition, evolving formats, inclusion
- 24th edition of prestigious awards held at historic Mohatta Palace after the ceremony in May was canceled
- Awards introduce new Digital Content Creators category amid changing entertainment and media landscape
KARACHI: Pakistan’s entertainment industry gathered in Karachi on Thursday for a smaller, more intimate ceremony marking the cc, as artists reflected on the importance of recognition, evolving formats and broader inclusion across creative fields.
The awards, considered Pakistan’s longest running and most prestigious entertainment honors, were held at the Mohatta Palace, a departure from previous large-scale events at the Karachi Expo Center.
Actress Sanam Saeed, who co-hosted the evening, described the ceremony as “small and intimate,” a tone echoed by several attendees.
The scaled-down format followed an unusual year for the awards. The 23rd Lux Style Awards, scheduled to take place in Lahore in May, were canceled amid the brief war between Pakistan and India, with winners announced digitally and trophies delivered to recipients’ homes.
Among the prominent stars attending this year’s ceremony were Fahad Mustafa, Hania Aamir, Mawra Hocane and Yumna Zaidi. Aamir, who won Actor of the Year – Female (Viewers’ Choice), for the hit television drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, said award platforms play a vital role in sustaining creative industries.
“It’s extremely important to appreciate the art that comes out of your country,” she told Arab News at the red carpet. The drama, she noted, resonated beyond Pakistan, trending in Bangladesh and India during its broadcast.
Addressing fans abroad, Aamir, arguably Pakistan’s most popular celebrity internationally, said:
“Thank you so much for loving beyond borders. We love you as much even more. So thank you so much for appreciating all the hard work that we do.”
She also called for broader recognition across productions.
“I’d like Lux [Style Awards] and every other award show to have a lot more diverse categories to appreciate every single person who is a part of the team. [And] who actually makes the project come to life.”
The Lux Style Awards have long attracted debate over transparency and credibility, a recurring discussion whenever nominations and winners are announced.
Still, many artists said the platform remains essential for motivation and visibility.
“Whenever we discuss the awards, no award will be fair because some people will have certain reservations with it,” producer Abdullah Seja of iDream Entertainment told Arab News. “These might be the most authentic awards in Pakistan [but] obviously there is room for improvement in everything.”
Reflecting shifts in Pakistan’s creative economy, the awards introduced a separate category this year for Digital Content Creators. The inaugural trophy went to real-life couple Rabya Kulsoom and Rehan Nazim, known online as ‘Ron and Cocco’.
“The credit goes to Lux [Style Awards] for introducing the category because content creation is not easy,” Nazim said. “Whoever is doing it, it’s a difficult job. And now it has become a full-time job. You can’t take it lightly and do it on the side. So, we need to recognize the people who are doing it.”
Actress Yumna Zaidi, who won her first film award for Nayab, described the ceremony’s return to Karachi as significant.
“I am so glad that it’s happening in Karachi because it’s been a while,” she said, adding, “Lux [Style Awards] are the strongest because it includes nominations from all the channels and it’s the strongest [competition].”
Mawra Hocane, whose drama Jafaa was nominated for TV Play of the Year (Critics’ Choice), said meaningful storytelling mattered more than trophies.
“Platforms [like these] are very very important but more than that what’s important is that a project strikes a chord with the audience,” she said.
“I do my projects so that we can work on the position of women in society. [And] somehow elevate them, somehow create some space for them. And I think ‘Jafaa’ has done that.”
Music remained a central draw of the evening.
Co-host Sanam Saeed said she was particularly looking forward to live performances.
“Music is the kind of genre that bonds people together and puts Pakistan on the map,” she said.
“We become one when it comes to music, forgetting all the distance, limitations and borders. [And] Our music does that.”
Singer and songwriter Hasan Raheem, popular among younger audiences, also performed during the ceremony and reflected on the value of such platforms.
“These [platforms] are important, honestly,” he said. “I feel like things like these should happen because the real present and the gift that I personally get is the love from people that is the epitome of all the awards. I can never get a better award than that.”
