LAHORE: Two Pakistani short films, made by two young women, have been selected to be shown at the third edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah.

The short films that have made it to the film festival and will feature in its annual contest are Solatia by Hira Yousafzai and Eid Mubarak by Mahnoor Euceph.

They are among the 14 short films that have been shortlisted from the countries like Armenia, Germany, Indonesia, USA, Iran, South Africa, Philippines, Kazakhstan, Ghana and France.

In Solatia, Hira Sheraz Yousafzai tells the story of Zamda, a young woman trapped in a makeshift shelter with other displaced individuals in Pakistan, a world wracked by chaos and uncertainty. She searches amongst photos of missing loved ones pasted on a wall, unable to escape the despair in this female focused narrative.

The film has Huss Khan, Amtul Baweja, Samiya Mumtaz and Sadiq Hazara in its cast.

Hira Sheraz Yousafzai is from KPK. She is a graduate of the National College of Arts, Lahore. She is the founder of Yousafzai Filmoona, a women owned production. She has already released two short films, The City of Men and The Round Lake. Her next directorial venture includes her first feature film Indus Rising.

Talking to Dawn about her film, Hira says Solatia is a story that she and her team deeply care about. “It is a labour of love. I am a big fan of blending reality into dystopia because it mirrors the truth that sometimes for women especially, our world can feel dystopian. Without giving away much about the story, I hope the audience have a good experience watching the movie”.

She says the film was made possible by the whole team which includes the producers Phavur Media, Hirra Farooqi, Zayan Agha, cinematographer Taseer Ali, assistant director Aiza Mustabeen, production designer Aleezay Aftab, writer Jonathan Sonnenberg and editors Kashif Niaz, Zayan Agha besides the entire cast and crew.

The other short film, Eid Mubarak, revolves around Iman, a privileged Pakistani girl, who goes with her family to buy a goat before the Eidul Azha holiday. Imran picks the cutest goat, names it Barfi and takes it home. Smitten, she makes a plan to save Barfi’s life before he can be sacrificed on Eid. Mahnoor Euceph had focused the emotions of a young girl and her perspective which is different from her family following a religious practice.

According to the organisers, during the festival, the voices of 14 emerging and established filmmakers from Singapore and Senegal to Kazakhstan and Pakistan will be given a platform to showcase their talents. Their stories will challenge and charm audiences with thought-provoking narratives, curated to fit the ‘Your Story Your Festival’ theme. The titles to feature in the Red Sea International Shorts are all MENA (Middle East and North Africa) or world premieres.

Kaleem Aftab, the director of international programming of the film festival, says: “We were overwhelmed by the record number of applications for our short film competition from filmmakers from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, working across the globe. It was hard to whittle the number down to the 14 filmmakers we believe will become the next generation of great auteurs. We can’t wait to welcome them to Jeddah to showcase their work and be a part of the global film community gathering during Red Sea IFF. We are more certain than ever that the future of film is in Asia and Africa, including the Arab world.”

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) happens in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, every year. This year, it has selected an impressive programme of short films from African and Asian filmmakers operating across the globe. With the third edition of the festival taking place from Nov 30 to Dec 9, this selection of short format works will complement the soon to be announced international feature films.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2023