RAWALPINDI: Divvy Film Festival opened in the outdoor amphitheater of the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad on Friday evening in the first public movie event since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The festival was launched by Art Divvy Foundation in collaboration with PNCA. In a first for the capital city since Pakistan eased coronavirus restrictions in August, dozens of people in facemasks gathered at the venue to watch films in the open air.

“I have always loved outdoor films, they have a very old school vibe and we are lucky that the weather in Islamabad is lovely and we have the opportunity to take advantage of it,” Art Divvy creative director Zahra Khan said.

As attendees entered the venue they were outfitted with masks (if they did bring their own) and were instructed how to find a seat and maintain distance.

“The capacity is 200 people with social distancing measures in place, but we might still keep it below capacity to be extra careful," she told Arab News. "The PNCA's outdoor amphitheater is beautiful and perfect for film screenings. It is surrounded by greenery and feels very open and calm."

In her opening speech, Khan said the theme of the festival was "finding the hero within." The first film screened was "Sounds of Lahore" by Oscar-winning Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy who documented the journey of Sachal, Pakistan’s last remaining orchestra, to New York to play at the Lincoln Center.

Art Divvy is the brainchild of Khan and her mother Asma. Founded in 2012, it supports contemporary Pakistani art with large-scale exhibitions. Recently, Khan realized that independent filmmakers also needed a boost.

“I realized a while ago that support for independent films was lacking, screenings were often organized by directors and producers themselves and there wasn't an institutional support system.”

With this in mind, she approached the PNCA and Divvy Festival, which is dedicated to work of Pakistani filmmakers, was born.

Documentaries, feature films, short films and animations will be screened every Friday night at the PNCA through Nov. 13.

“It feels great to be part of a festival that is happening in Islamabad where I will probably physically be there to watch the film play at, it will be interesting,” said Usman Mukhtar, whose internationally successful short “Bench" will screen at Divvy.

Sarmad Khoosat, whose critically acclaimed "Manto" (2018) will be shown at the festival, told Arab News that it is “heartwarming" that the event is taking place.

“It’s heartwarming to see some kind of semblance of things going back to normal. That, of course, does not come without a bold caution that people still need to be safe,” Khoosat said.

“Coming out of the lockdown and locked-in phase that the whole world has gone through, things are looking a little sort of you know better than before. Things are resuming."