After making its mark in Pakistan, Saqib Malik’s directorial debut, Baaji, is collecting accolades internationally. The film was screened this week at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF) in Mississauga and won two awards.
The movie features Meera in the lead role, and it is widely regarded as her comeback in the film industry. The cast also includes Osman Khalid Butt, Amna Ilyas, Ali Kazmi and Nayyar Ejaz in major roles. Ali Kazmi attended the fest alongside Saqib Malik. The actor was the first to announce on Instagram that their film has won two awards. Baaji won the Jury Prize (audience recognition category) and Nayyer Ejaz won ‘Best Supporting Actor’.
“Screened at the #Misaff2019 film festival to a packed audience and we won the grand jury prize plus best supporting actor Nayyer Ejaz the chaandest Kamal (runner up was me, that’s a win in my book being runner up to a legend like Nayyer Ejaz:) it’s not only a win for us it’s a win for Pakistani cinema on a global scale!” Ali wrote.
Read: ‘Baaji’ heads to a Canadian film festival for special screening
The festival showcased eight fiction films, three documentaries, and seven shorts from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Italy, the UK and Canada. Women’s and familial struggle stories paved the way with themes of love, comedies on complex relationships, explorations of art and ancestry, and a closer investigative look at domestic/intimate partner violence. Here is the complete list of winners:
