Foundation Art Divvy is proud to have held Divvy Film Festival 2023, our third annual film festival screening independent films from Pakistan, across three major cities, Karachi (17-18 February), Lahore (3-5 March) and Islamabad (17-19 March).
About Divvy Film Festival 2023
As per Foundation Art Divvy’s objectives, we partnered with institutions to hold the Divvy Film Festival. We are grateful to our partners – the Karachi Literature Festival, Alhamra Arts Centre and the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).
Now in its third year, Divvy Film Festival, the latest venture of Foundation Art Divvy focuses on independent Pakistani films of multiple types and genres. We believe it is imperative to support independent film and filmmakers locally, and do so in a strong, consistent manner. Divvy Film Festival provides a much-needed institutional platform through which these exciting and excellently crafted films can be watched.
Our program of 63 films was split amongst Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. It included feature and short format films in fiction, documentary and animation, in a range of genres – drama, horror, dark comedy, romance, futuristic drama and others.
Meet The Experts Of Filmmaking
Divvy Film Festival deliberately screens films by acclaimed directors as well as rising younger directors. This year we included films by Sarmad Khoosat, Usman Mukhtar, Anam Abbas, Mahera Omar, Mehreen Jabbar, Tazeen Bari, Puffball Studios, Soch Videos, Hamza Bangash, Mathieu Palley, Wajahat Malik, Omar Ali Khan, Uzair Surhio, Mahnoor Euceph, Jaffar Raza Jafri, Mashal Baloch, Amajad Ali Hunzai, Roohi Kashfi and many others, each of steller ability.
This year, Divvy Film Festival launched Divvy Film Awards – the Divvy Jury Award, Divvy Team Award and Divvy Audience Award. B for Naoo by Roohi Kashfi was awarded the Divvy Jury Award, Gulabo Rani by Usman Mukhtar was given the Divvy Team Award and Intezar Farmaiye by Ali Mehdi received the Divvy Audience Award. We are grateful to our Jury for choosing the Divvy Jury Award – Zebunnisa Hamid (FIlm academic at LUMS), Kanwal Khoosat (Film Producer and Founder of Olomopolo), Farjad Nabi (Film Director) & Husain Qaizar (Film Editor and writer).
Uplift The Spirit Of Music
In an effort to support the musical arts, and particularly the rare local instrument, the Santoor, we invited Ali Raza Khan, the masterful Santoor player for our final evening and he enthralled the audience with his beautiful performance.
Each evening of films was curated carefully to create a thoughtful and immersive experience for the viewer, ending with a discussion with the film directors. The films we screened cover a multitude of themes that include human stories of love and heartbreak, coming of age, finding oneself, climate change, the trauma of loss, as well as the joy of ordinary and unexpected moments. They tap into experiences and memories within us and highlight the hero within us all.
Motto Of Divvy Film Festival
Foundation Art Divvy provides a platform at an institutional level, locally and internationally to the arts from Pakistan in order to expand Pakistani art, culture and narrative’s global and local reach. It supports and develops large-scale exhibitions of contemporary Pakistani art and culture in public spaces. The Foundation has launched Divvy Film Festival, an annual festival supporting independent films by Pakistani filmmakers.
Our gratitude to the filmmakers, our generous sponsors for Divvy Film Festival 2023 – the Embassy of France, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Newage Cables, Changan Auto, Unity Foods and our hospitality partner Hashoo Group. And of course, to our audience.
Comments About The Divvy Film Festival
“Dialogue is like oxygen that keeps a society vibrant and growing. Film festivals are the spaces where these dialogues take place. This makes Divvy absolutely crucial to the collective health of Pakistani society. Being on the jury for Divvy has been one of the most exhilarating yet toughest assignments ever. The quality of the films is simply outstanding,”
-Farjad Nabi (Jury Member)
“The Art Divvy Festival was the perfect setting to showcase our film Eid Mubarak. The outdoor screening made the most of Lahore’s great weather and allowed for an interactive few minutes between each screening. Perfect to fully ingest a very well curated lineup of films among peers and friends”.
– Kamil Chima (film producer)
“Pakistan has long needed an international film festival that can showcase the work of our talented filmmakers alongside films from other parts of the world. DFF provides, exactly, such a platform. My film “One-way Glass” was shown in the festival’s Karachi & Islamabad editions & I laud Zahra & her team for the professionalism and efficiency with which they organized the events. I wish them my best. Long may Divvy continue to bring us good cinema from Pakistan & abroad.”
– Nauman Khalid (film director)
Audience Response To The Initiative
“It’s such a wonderful initiative! You have access to Pakistani art and independent films that you wouldn’t find online or at the cinema. I always find it so educational and of course, loads of fun! We need more of it!”
– Maha Kamal Khan (audience member)
“The Divvy Foundation film festival is a very welcome addition to the cultural landscape of Pakistan and serves a very important purpose which is bringing people together through storytelling. And opening us up to different human experiences.”
-Kamiar Rokni (audience member)
Catch The Festival In Images Here
