Pakistani filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s film Darling is all set to become the first Pakistani film to be screened at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, the world’s oldest film festival.
Darling is set in a dance theatre in Lahore. The story revolves around a young boy and a trans girl. It is the first ever Pakistani film to make the cut for one of the Big Three film festivals i.e. Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals. The main leads are Abdullah Malik as Shani, Alina played by Alina Khan, a trans girl from Lahore who is making her acting debut. The cast includes upcoming actress Mehar Bano, Nadia Afgan of the Suno Chanda fame and many other actors.
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Director Saim Sadiq is a 28 year-old filmmaker from Lahore, currently completing his graduate degree in film directing from Columbia University in New York. With the name of Laal Kabootar and Cake’s cinematographer Mo Azmi attached to the film as director of photography, Darling is backed by Fahad Nabi and Nadia Afgan as producers.
Darling will premiere in Venice in September 2019.
