Islamabad: Pakistani films Nayab and Deemak have earned international acclaim, securing the Jury Special Award and Best Editing Award, respectively, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Film Festival 2025 in Chongqing, China, highlighting the growing global influence of Pakistan’s resurgent film industry.
The five-day festival, organized by the China Film Administration and Chongqing Municipal Government, showcased 27 films from SCO member states, including Pakistan, China, Russia, and India. Aimed at fostering cultural exchange, the event featured screenings, forums, a film technology expo, and a gala concert, with awards presented across 10 categories. Nayab, a 2024 sports drama directed by Umair Nasir Ali, follows a young woman from Karachi, played by Yumna Zaidi, defying societal barriers to pursue her dream of becoming a professional cricketer. The film, also starring Fawad Khan, Javed Sheikh, and Adnan Siddiqui, previously won Best Foreign Film and Best First-Time Filmmaker at the World Film Festival in Cannes. “The audience’s engagement with the film’s emotional depth was overwhelming,” Ali shared, noting their thoughtful responses during screenings.
Deemak, a psychological horror film directed by Rafay Akbar Rashdi, explores family tensions and mental trauma in a haunted home, starring Sonya Hussyn, Faysal Quraishi, Samina Peerzada, and Bushra Ansari. The film, which grossed over Rs60 million [$211,173] in its opening week, became Pakistan’s highest-grossing horror film. Rashdi celebrated the Best Editing Award as a “historic win” for Pakistani cinema on social media. The awards were accepted by Ali and actor Usama Khan for Nayab, and Rashdi and Hussyn for Deemak, in the presence of a Pakistani delegation including Minister of State for Education Wajiha Qamar.
Pakistan’s film industry continues to gain momentum, with recent successes like Joyland (2022), which won at Cannes, and The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022), the country’s highest-grossing film. These achievements, alongside Nayab and Deemak’s SCO honors, underscore the industry’s bold storytelling and global appeal.
