KARACHI: As Pakistani feature film “In Flames” heads to the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) later this month, its lead actresses said the selection of a women-oriented story for the high-profile event in Saudi Arabia itself reflected progress and was likely to resonate with women in the region.

Earlier this year in May, “In Flames” became the second Pakistani film in 43 years to make it to Directors’ Fortnight, an event that runs parallel to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Last month, the film was independently released at the Atrium Cinemas in Pakistan’s southern Karachi city for a 12-day run which was later extended until November 9.

“In Flames” is one of the two feature films from Pakistan that will be screened at the RSIFF scheduled to take place from November 30 till Dec 9 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“The way the Middle East is positioning itself in terms of women’s rights, we appreciate it,” Bakhtawar Mazhar, who plays the mother, Fariha, in the film, told Arab News in an exclusive conversation earlier this month.

“More than other festivals, this film is making its place at Red Sea,” she continued. “A women-oriented film. That’s a statement. I think Red Sea is also, by selecting these films, trying to say something here.”

Mazhar described the development as significant not just for the film but also for Pakistan. She said the festival in Saudi Arabia was relatively new compared to similar global film industry events, though it had managed to bring together big stars and films with meaningful content in a brief period of three years.

She categorized “In Flames” as a psychological thriller that follows the struggle of a mother and her daughter after the loss of the patriarch of the family. Written and directed by award-winning Canadian-Pakistani filmmaker Zarrar Kahn, the film has been produced by Anam Abbas.

Newcomer Ramesha Nawal, who auditioned for her acting debut with “In Flames,” played the role of Fariha’s daughter, Mariam, in the film. She found the character quite relatable being the eldest daughter in her family.

“Even though this film was shot in Karachi, women around the world were crying [after watching the film] and they were like, we know the struggle this character went through, we know the struggle of Fariha and Mariam,” Nawal told Arab News.

She said she was truly excited that the film was going to the Red Sea festival, adding the Saudi film industry was also making rapid progress which offered a tremendous opportunity to the Pakistani cinema to be collaborating with them.

“In Flames” is also Pakistan’s official submission under the Foreign Language Film category for the 96th Academy Awards next year. In addition to the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, the film has made it to multiple international film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), International South Asian Film Festival (iSAFF) and Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) within the last few months.