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Pakistan Edition · Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Entertainment

A Pakistani film lands a Venice sidebar, and a distribution problem at home

Festival heat is real. Getting the film onto Pakistani screens in the same season is still a negotiation.

Sana Qureshi

Sana Qureshi

Culture editor, Karachi

27 August 2026 at 7:45 am · 5 min read

An empty cinema with red seats

A small Pakistani feature has been selected for a Venice sidebar — a rare festival line for a film shot largely in interior Sindh, with a cast that is not yet a billboard name in Karachi.

The producers are now trying to lock a domestic release before the festival glow fades. Two cinema chains have offered limited screens. A third is waiting for the first international reviews.

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Written by Sana Qureshi, Culture editor

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