Watching films is an activity Pakistanis all enjoy wholeheartedly, whether it be the next Eid blockbuster or a much-anticipated romance film, we love them all!
However, for the Pakistani filmmakers behind this content, especially non-commercial ones, striving for creative success in the Pakistani film industry does come with its challenges.
The first and most common challenge being censorship, “Verna” (2017), a film revolving around a rape survivor was originally blocked by The Center Board of Film Censors due to its objectionable content, the ban however was later lifted.
The most notable and recent example of censorship was the banning of the feminist detective TV show “Churails”. While the show was available on an Indian streaming service, Zee5, Pakistan’s media regulatory body ordered that the show should not be available to Pakistan based viewers. The reason for the ban was the result of a clip circulating online which created a ‘vulgar’ image of the show according to some viewers. Besides censorship, there is the issue of irregular and unfair policies.
(Source: BBC)
The most prime example of this is the ban of ‘hugging and caressing’ scenes by PEMRA. Justifications surrounding the ban include the reasoning that such content promotes an indecent way of life that our Pakistani society does not follow. Among all the challenges faced by non-commercial filmmakers, the most detrimental would be the multiple bans on Youtube (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012-16 and 2017). The ban between 2012-2016 hit content creators the hardest, placing them behind their competitors.
Nonetheless, to gain a deeper understanding and a filmmaker’s first-hand perspective on the topic, Media Naama interviewed Hamza Baig, an Islamabad based filmmaker. As well as being a successful non-commercial content creator, Hamza is also a lecturer in the Mass Communication Department at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad. Some of his noteworthy films include, “Dua” and “Mama”, both have been screened at festivals and have won significant awards.
Mama - (Source: @thehamzabaig instagram)
DUA - (Source: @thehamzabaig instagram)
Through the interview, Hamza shed light on numerous obstacles that he and other non-commercial filmmakers alike have had to face by being part of the media industry. What remained a common theme throughout our interview with him was the importance of having a digital streaming platform, specifically, for non-commercial filmmakers.
When asked, “What changes do you think need to occur within our Pakistani Media industry for noncommercial filmmakers to be appreciated and recognized?” and “… how do you think our film industry can progress towards diversification of genre successfully?”
He responded respectively, “…I think what any filmmaker or content creator requires is a platform” and “We need a bigger platform that caters to all these genre filmmakers”.
Besides discussing the imperative need of a platform that caters to such filmmakers, the significance of screenwriting and the disregard of it in the current times was also talked upon.
Watch the full video to get a more in-depth insight!
Check out the entire interview here:
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