And now for something positive out of Pakistan… There are people in this country who are working to improve the status quo, in all sectors, from all walks of life. The organizers of the KaraFilm Festival (Karachi International Film Festival) fall in this category. Having designed for them for the past two years, I have [...]
And now for something positive out of Pakistan… There are people in this country who are working to improve the status quo, in all sectors, from all walks of life. The organizers of the KaraFilm Festival (Karachi International Film Festival) fall in this category. Having designed for them for the past two years, I have to say these volunteers do a fantastic job on a very limited budget, and without any remuneration at all. Around 8 individuals, filmmakers, journalists, artists, put together this festival on a volunteer basis every year. They dedicate enormous amounts of time and energy, and initially, their own funds as well, and offer 10 days of entertainment to a recreation-starved population.
The Festival is put on around the same time as the Dubai Film Festival, and you can’t get a bigger contrast than the magnificent, affluent arabs drawing in all the big stars, compared to the struggling KaraFilm Festival, where stars often renege at the last minute, destroying credibility and bringing down expectations. In 6 years, however, the Festival is beginning to get the recognition it deserves; they show close to 100 films and documentaries over 10 days, and while the stars that spark the event are mostly Indian, at least there are some celebrities out there with a little integrity.
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Unfortunately, the nature of the movie world means that most of the ’stars’ are very egocentric, not to mention in-it-for-the-money, so they’re not the easiest people to deal with. The Dubai Film Festival is only flashier because the stars are drawn, like moths to a flame, to the liberally dispensed cash rewards of such an affair. Sigh.