Skip to main content

Pakistani short film, Mulaqat, has made it to the 78th Venice Film Festival. The 20-minute short will be screened at the prestigious film festival in September.

Directed by the London-based Pakistani, Seemab Gul, the short film stars Parizae Fatima and Hamza Mushtaq in lead roles.

“Sandstorm (ملاقات) will have its world premiere at the 78th Venice Film Festival in the #orrizzonti short films competition. Delighted to be part of cinema history in the oldest film festival in the world!” shared Seemab on Instagram. The director went on to thank the entire cast and crew.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Seemab Gul (@seemabg)

 

Hamza Mushtaq also took to Instagram to share the big news.

“Delighted to be part of cinema history in the oldest film festival in the world! Shot in Karachi and a year in the making in this turbulent time,” he wrote, thanking for the huge opportunity to be part of this huge project. “Proud of the dream team and glad to reach the finishing line!”

“I hope we all make our country proud!” she went on to share.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by HAMZA MUSHTAQ (@hamzamushtaqq)

 

Produced by Abid Aziz Merchant, the short film has been shot in Karachi during the pandemic.

“Zara, a schoolgirl in Karachi, shares a sensual dance video with her virtual boyfriend, who then blackmails her,” reads the plot summary on IMDb

Mulaqat will be up against Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers and Pablo Larrain’s Spencer.

The 78th Venice Film Festival will be held between 1st and 11th September 2021.