With the ongoing screenings of Hollywood and Bollywood films, Pakistani cinemas are now set to have a flavor of Iranian films, according to a report in the Daily Express. Lollywood is planning to import films from Iran, originally in Persian. The movies will be first dubbed in Urdu before their screenings in theaters.
(Note: “‘Delhi Belly’ denied public exhibition license in Pakistan”)
Currently details are being finalized by the local industry’s bigwigs. However, unlike the screenings of Indian films, which are criticized by Lollywood artists, the possible arrival of Iranian films in Pakistani cinemas is being appreciated in the film industry.
Lollywood’s warm welcome also comes because of the joint venture behind such screenings. Film-makers are looking forward to Pak-Iran joint ventures through Iranian support in the form of advanced technology and better storylines. According to a Lollywood insider, the Iranian film industry is ready to support Lollywood, which could help revive the declining film industry.
The Iranian films are considered to be part of an up-and-coming film industry with many post-revolution films screened at various international film festivals like Cannes, Venice, London and San Sebastian film festival. Since 1997, a number of Iranian films have been nominated for an Academy Award.
Hamza Ali Abbasi, a Pakistani actor and the director of Mud House and the Golden Doll, believes that the Iranian film industry should be taken as an example for the revival of the local film industry. “Our film industry should be more like the Iranian film industry where they tell the story in a simple manner and that gets screened all over the world. Pakistan, too, has a lot of talent, but the younger lot just needs to come up with an idea and they need to be encouraged to make something, no matter how silly it is. They should still be able to make something,” Abbasi told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2011.
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