KARACHI, Nov 27: At least 170 films from 37 countries will be screened during 10 days of fun and excitement that the organisers of the Karafilm Festival have promised at the sixth version of the event, scheduled to kick off on December 7. The KaraFilm festival had become the premier international film festival in Pakistan, known around the world for its ‘passion, creativity and professionalism.

The festival, which will conclude on December 16, will also introduce cash awards for some extraordinary arrivals ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. A life achievement award amounting to Rs50,000 will also be paid to a dedicated and committed creator.

These awards are merely recognition and a token of appreciation of great creative work and might be of some to some of the independent filmmakers and encourage them to continue their contributions in the world of creativity, said Hasan Zaidi, the festival director, at a press conference at the PIIA Auditorium on Monday.

The organizers have chalked out the following categories which will receive cash awards to be determined by a jury of professional individuals.

The best shorts (both animated and live action) will each get $1,000, the Best Documentary $2,000 and the Best Feature Film will receive $5,000. The best Pakistani film made for television will get $1,000. Some 95 short films are competing for the short film award, 33 documentaries for the best documentary award, and out of a total of some 40 features, there were at least 13 in competition.

Mr Zaidi said the international film extravaganza would cost around Rs20 million and a large number of foreign delegates and filmmakers are expected to attend. The spotlight is likely to be on Bollywood heart throbs Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan. Besides, director Mahesh Bhatt, whom Mr. Zaidi called an ambassador of the Karafilm Festival, villain Gulshan Grover and comedian Anupam Kher will be in Karachi.

Director Jamil Dehlavi, who made the famous Jinnah film, Jafar Panahi of Iran, Mahesh will show up with old and new creations and the organizers planto spotlight their work.

Mr Zaidi said the festival would mark 20 world premieres while many of movies are being screened in Asia for the first time. For Pakistan, he said, most films would launch their premieres. Most of those movies have won awards at the prestigious festivals of Cannes, Berlin and Venice.

He said last year marked a milestone in the festival’s history as it completed five ‘remarkable and consecutive years’. Besides its closing ceremony was graced by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who promised full support to the festival and its aims in the coming years from the Government of Pakistan.

Mr Zaidi suggested that it remained the only internationally recognized film festival in Pakistan as well as the only competitive international film event, which had been dubbed as ‘one of the most exciting festivals in the region.’

He said some very interesting documentaries and entertaining shorts round off this year’s selection. They deal with issues as diverse as human rights in Manipur, Lahore’s red light area, assimilation in Sweden, destruction in Palestine, Darfur, Kosovo, the tsunami in Sri Lanka, the earthquake in Pakistan, the conflict in Balochistan, honour killing, Chinese traditions, Sufism etc.

The prominent films are: The Road to Guantanamo, Jamil Dehlavi’s Infinite Justice based on murder of journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi, which is world premier, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Man Push Cart, Offside and others.

To a question, he said last year, the revenue generated from the festival was spent to help the victims of the October 8 earthquake in Pakistan.

This year the festival would be held at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) and the Arts Council.

The opening ceremony of the festival would take place on 7th December at the Mohatta Palace Museum.