Islamabad welcomes Divvy Film Festival

The Divvy Film Festival — an annual festival that aims to expand and celebrate independent Pakistani cinema — is set to kick off in Islamabad on March 17 at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) following the completion of festival in Lahore and Karachi.

The much-anticipated festival has been organised by the Foundation Art Divvy in collaboration with PNCA. The foundation works to provide a platform at an institutional level — locally and internationally — for Pakistani arts and film. 

The programme of films had been split among Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Now in its third year, the festival includes feature films, short films, documentaries and animated movies which will run each evening and will be curated to create a thoughtful and immersive experience for its viewers, ending with a discussion with the film directors.

The films to be screened at the festival will cover a multitude of themes including human stories of love and heartbreak, coming of age, finding oneself, climate change, the trauma of loss, as well as the joy of ordinary and unexpected moments.

"They tap into experiences and memories within us and highlight the hero within us all," said Zahra, the creative director of Foundation Art Divvy.

Some prominent names whose films will be run through the festival include documentary filmmaker Mahera Omar, actor Usman Mukhtar, and Sarmad Khoosat among others.

The event will conclude with an award ceremony after the screenings are completed.

At least 16 films were showcased at the Divvy Film Festival in Karachi during the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) at the Beach Luxury Hotel from February 17-18.