One thing is for certain, Pakistan’s entertainment industry is NOT short of talent. However, what it lacks is a common platform and long term direction. As we all know, the Pakistani drama industry has been thriving, with Pakistani serials receiving an overwhelming response, not just locally but also internationally. With the revival of Pakistani cinema, it is now time to promote Pakistani culture at a global level and what better way to do it than through great cinematic ventures.
Recently, we have seen a number of Pakistani films hitting the silver screens and with audiences responding positively to our local content – this is a sign of encouragement. While the industry is on the road to success, we do need to take measures and take significant steps to bring about a greater change.
Pakistani actors and singers have reaped a massive fan following on international forums- this can further be used to promote a softer image of Pakistan.
At a recent press conference held in Karachi, The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) announced its first ever, National Production and Entertainment Trade Conference-FocusPK16.
About Focus.Pk
Organised by Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), an event dedicated to the entertainment and production trade, Focus.pk will take place this weekend for the time in Pakistan.
The event will be led by Atiqa Odho who is the chairperson of Standing Committee on Production and Entertainment (SCPE) committee.
While the media industry in Pakistan continues to grow, it is also perpetually ignored. Entertainment in Pakistan is not taken as seriously but with the help of this conference, things will definitely take a turn into the right direction. There is a dire need to expand Pakistan’s cinemascope by making more movies and exporting them to foreign countries for revenue, one of the things, Focus.pk intends to do.
Expansion of Pakistani cinema will also lead to the creation of more jobs internally, bringing about greater employment opportunities. This will also give Pakistan an opportunity to promote it’s true image rather a negative one, globally.
One of the attendees mentioned that Bollywood movies have been playing in Chinese cinemas for a quite a while now- Pakistan must take advantage of its exceptional ties with China and export Pakistani movies to them. Focus.pk, Pakistan’s first ever official entertainment and production conference will steer way for just that.
In a question and answer session an important aspect was highlighted, that we must focus more on exporting our content and establishing international ties rather than importing foreign movies.
Aim of Focus.pk
FocusPK’16 aims to bring together the aces of the media industry- from directors, producers, and celebrities, technicians to financiers, distributors, producers, music producers and aspiring young talent, Focus.pk will prove to be an incredible opportunity for all to come under one roof.
We often find that a huge chunk of the industry, working behind the camera, are mostly under-represented- Focus.pk aims to bring such people to the forefront and provide them with the right opportunities.
FPCCI VP Muhammad Hanif Gohar revealed his excitement for the event and is really looking forward to it:
“I am so happy to see our country’s entertainment and production industry — which had been ignored earlier, getting good attention,”
He also credited Odho for her efforts and making this possible.
If you believe that Pakistan has untapped potential and there is still a lot of room for improvement in the industry – this event is for you!
The event will not only help the film industry to grow but also help substantially individuals by creating more job opportunities.
“Cinema culture is becoming a norm in the country but we need something solid to put on those screens which is why we must prefer putting up local content rather than imported ones”, said Atiqa Odho.
At the press conference, Atiqa Odho stated :
“FocusPK16 shall be filling in a wide gap in our industry where we have resources but aren’t sure of how best to utilise them. We’re creating a medium of interaction not only for people in the industry but aspiring filmmakers and entertainers who are students right now and don’t know who to get in touch with once they graduate. We hope to create a database for future global collaborations and increase export options for our content through syndication deals in other countries where an Urdu speaking audience needs to be further engaged.”
Odho also mentioned that two big names of the industry, Anwer Maqsood and Ghazanffar Ali, will be recognized for their work along with countless contributions to the industry at the event.
The event will feature sessions on a range of topics- from theatre, music, animation, scripting, storytelling, syndication, censorship and a lot more. There will be a total 18 sessions over the course of two days.
The high-profile event will be studded with the big names of the industry who will then be speaking at the event, therefore aspiring talent is encouraged to attend.
Speakers at the conference will include Minister for Information Maryam Aurangzeb, Chairman PEMRA Absar Alam, Aly Mustansir, Usman Peerzada, Maria Wasti, Sarmad Khoosat, Vasay Chaudhry, Zeb Bangash, Sarwat Gilani, Samina Ahmed, Misbah Khalid, Syed Noor, Noor ul Huda Shah, Ajab Gul, Hameed Sheikh, Haseena Moin, Sahira Kazmi, Taher A. Khan, Imran Aslam, Salman Iqbal, Jerjees Seja, Sultana Siddiqui, Nina Kashif, Seema Taher, Fouad Hussain, Reza Gheewalla, Zohaib Kazi, Salman Shahid, Seemi Raheel, Iram Parveen Bilal, Fifi Haroon, Hassan Zaidi, Usman Riaz, Khalid Anum, Omair Rana, Shallum Xavier, Nadeem Mandviwala, Sohail Hashmi, Khalid Malik, Shiraz Uppal, Azhar Abbas, Amir Zia, Rashid Sami among others.
Media registration for FOCUS PK is ongoing at
Stay tuned to VeryFilmi for more updates on Focus.pk!
