The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee (PASC) is honoured to introduce the new selection committee by its newly appointed chairman, Mohammed Ali (Mo) Naqvi.
Entrusted with the critical task of choosing Pakistan’s official entry for the Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film category, the PASC’s latest assembly comprises some of the finest talents in the Pakistani cinematic landscape.
Mohammed Ali (Mo) Naqvi’s achievements: Naqvi is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Television Academy and brings with him a legacy of influential storytelling. He produced the Netflix Original Top 10 docu-series Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror.
He received the inaugural Emmy Television Academy Honor for directing and producing Showtime Original Shame. He has been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, a Cinema Eye Honor and the UNESCO-FELLINI Prize. His films have been screened at a number of festivals including Toronto, Berlin, Busan, and Tribeca, and showcased at the
Museum of Modern Art.
Other notable films include the Emmy-nominated production Among the Believers, Insha’Allah Democracy, and Pakistan’s Hidden Shame. His latest film The Accused: Damned Or Devoted? currently up for a Primetime Emmy. Beyond non-fiction, Naqvi has produced fiction features including the road-trip drama Big River (Official Selection: Berlin Film Festival) and indie comedy I Will Avenge You Iago starring Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito.
Introducing the new Pakistani Academy Selection Committee members:
● Ahmed Ali Akbar is a multi-talented Pakistani actor known for his stellar
performances in acclaimed productions such as Laal Kabootar and Parizaad. He has a
background in tennis, singing and theatre, including a stint at Shakespeare’s Globe in
London (UK), and has received numerous accolades from the Lux Style Awards to
international film festivals.
● Bilal Lashari is an award-winning director and cinematographer whose recent
blockbuster The Legend of Maula Jatt is the highest-grossing Punjabi language film of
all time and Pakistan’s highest-grossing film.
● Fatima Bhutto, acclaimed author of both fiction and non-fiction, including the Bailey’s
Prize-longlisted The Shadow of the Crescent Moon and the memoir Songs of Blood and
Sword frequently addresses and speaks on justice, culture, and climate issues.
● Fawad Khan is a versatile film and TV actor, singer, and model, renowned on both
sides of the border. He gained fame with Khuda Kay Liye in 2007, won Lux Style Awards
for Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai, and secured a Filmfare Award for Best Male
Debut with Khoobsurat. He plays the lead in Pakistan’s highest-grossing film Maula
Jatt.
● Frieha Altaf is Pakistan’s premiere pioneering event manager and director, with 3,500
shows including the Lux Style Awards, Pakistan Fashion Weeks, UN Pakistani Film
Festivals under her banner of Catwalk. She has 80 international and National Awards, an
Actor on TV, film. Frieha is a tireless activist advocating for child sexual abuse and
gender equality.
● Filmmaker, academic, and co-founder of the Documentary Association of Pakistan,
Haya Fatima Iqbal, whose previous films include Academy Award and Emmy
Award-winner A Girl In The River and Emmy winner Armed With Faith.
● Madeeha Syed is an award-winning Pakistani documentary filmmaker, investigative
journalist, and cultural critic whose impactful films are integrated into the media and
gender studies curricula in local universities. She has also served as a jury member for
the Lux Style Awards over seven times.
● Mehreen Jabbar is a critically acclaimed director, producer and editor with over two
decades of experience and has received numerous awards for her work. Her catalogue of
directorial work includes two feature films, multiple TV and streaming series, shorts and
corporate videos.
● Veteran actor, director, and producer Nadia Afgan with over two decades in Pakistan’s
TV and film industry. She is known for her award-winning work in serials like Kabuli
Palao, Suno Chanda, Parizaad, and films like Manto.
● Writer/director Saim Sadiq, named one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch, directed
Cannes Jury Award-winner Joyland was also shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
Prior to that, his short film Darling won the Best Short Film award at the 76th Venice
Film Festival.
Over the next month, the committee will review eligible films and select the entry that best
represents Pakistani cinema. The chosen film will be submitted to the Academy Awards for
consideration in the Best International Feature Film category.
Comments by the chairperson:
Naqvi remarked, “The selection committee is a testament to the abundant talent flourishing in, Pakistan’s film sector. It’s a privilege to collaborate with such a remarkable team to spotlight the outstanding narratives crafted by Pakistani filmmakers.” At present, the PASC is in the process of assessing the films received. An official announcement regarding Pakistan’s selected submission for the 96th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category will be made by early October.”
For media inquiries, contact:
Name: Fouzia Tariq
Mobile: 0332-020-9887
Email: Fouzia@catwalk.net.pk
