Pakistan to stage Asia’s first Smartphone Film Festival in Sep | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistan to stage Asia’s first Smartphone Film Festival in Sep

Pakistan Press Foundation

For the first time ever in the Asian filmmaking history, Pakistan will be the only country holding the Smartphone Film Festival in September this year.

Hollywood filmmaker and iPhone Film Festival Founder Ruben Kazantsev will himself arrive in Karachi to inaugurate the festival. It was revealed in a pre-launch ceremony held on Sunday at the Pak American Cultural Centre, Karachi.

Being held by the iSmart Films in collaboration with the world’s renowned iPhone Film Festival, Wajood Media, Blems Production and MadJoint Studios, the upcoming Smartphone Film Festival will feature smart films and documentaries, etc produced by the local filmmakers by using their smartphone devices.

The main objective of the pre-launch ceremony-cum-press conference was to highlight Asia’s first and the world’s 9th Smartphone Film Festival being held this year in Pakistan. The press conference commenced with a detailed media briefing regarding the prime objectives of the festival, including a question & answer session. After this, a film reviewing session was also held showcasing the amazing filmmaking projects produced by local young filmmakers and media students through their cell phones.

Speaking on the historic occasion, iSmart Films Co-Founder Kamran Ata said that modern telecommunication devices and newly-introduced smartphones had enabled common men and women to capture thrilling stories and share those videos via social media in a second.

“Thanks to these small, pocket-sized mobile phones, the Pakistani youth has got a wonderful medium to showcase their hidden talent as potential filmmakers and make a bigger impact in the filmmaking world globally. Considering the growing number of smartphone users in the country, the mega Smartphone Film Festival renders an equal opportunity to both men and women, especially empowering our local women to rule the roost with the power of smartphone technology and the vigilant eye for capturing the imagination,” Ata said.

ISmart Films Co-Founder Abid Beli also spoke on the occasion. During his address, he invited local smartphone users to make the most of this tremendous opportunity by submitting their films and the rest of the video creations in the upcoming mega festival.

The audiences were also introduced to filming projects submitted by Asma Alwaz of Khairpur, Sindh and Faizan Sheikh, a student of Iqra University, Karachi, including many other students of media studies. These video concepts received immense applause from viewers.

Now, with thousands of film submissions from over 50 countries around the world, the iPhone Film Festival has provided an outlet for some of the world’s most talented filmmakers and has enabled them to showcase their work to a global audience.

Being a team of musicians, designers and filmmakers with more than 10 years of experience in production, iSmart Films has strategically partnered with leading Dubai and US-based companies for creating smart film and visuals through pocket-sized phone devices in place of conventional filmmaking equipment.

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