KARACHI, Dec 21: The Karachi International Film Festival-2002, also known as Second KaraFilm Festival, concluded on Saturday after a successful run of eight days at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs.

According to an announcement, awards ceremony will honour those film-makers whose films were judged by an independent jury to be the best in competition. A total of over 75 films of all types — documentaries, features and shorts — from countries as diverse as USA, Canada, Germany, Iran, Bangladesh, Japan, Sri Lanka, Russia, New Zealand and Pakistan are in competition.

The ceremony will also honour Pakistan film-makers with lifetime achievement awards. Among the recipients of this year’s awards are actress Roohi Bano, veteran music composer Lal Mohammed and the late acclaimed actor Latif Kapadia.

Thousands of people from all walks of life attended the festival. They included well-known film-makers, such as Jawed Sheikh, Syed Noor, Samina Pirzada, Sania Saeed, Marina Khan, Asim Reza, Mohammed Ahmed, Shoaib Mansoor and Faisal Rehman. In addition, the festival was also participated by Russian, Japanese and New Zealand film-makers and critics.

The KaraFilm Festival is the only competitive international film festival in Pakistan. It is organized by the KaraFilm Society, a non-profit entity.

The Second KaraFilm Festival’s major sponsors are Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari and daily Dawn and the co-sponsors are PIA, Avari Hotels, WorldTel, Platinum Bank and Pak Apex Leasing. The festival has also received invaluable support from the Russian Consulate and the French and Japanese Cultural Centres.—APP