Islamabad (TDI): September’s temperature might not be as pleasant yet but the month’s calendar has started to roll already, and the weekend turned out to be full of fun as the European Union Mission in Pakistan kicked off its annual Film Festival from the capital city.
Together with Olomopolo Media, the EU Delegation opened the fifth edition of the European Film Festival Pakistan (EUFF) at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts on Saturday.
At the opening, EU Ambassador, Raimundas Karoblis, noted the event’s five-year run and its expanding footprint, which has taken it from Quetta and Gujrat to Lahore, Gilgit, Karachi, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Multan, with this year’s edition running from Islamabad to Sialkot and Hyderabad.
He said the festival is built around stories, ideas and imagination, and argued that film helps audiences grapple with challenges like climate change, economic uncertainty, conflict and digital change by sparking questions rather than offering easy answers.
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Olomopolo director, Kanwal Khoosat. called this year a milestone, noting that by the end of the current edition, EUFF will have reached 11 Pakistani cities, presenting films in several European languages alongside works in five Pakistani regional languages.
The Islamabad program included 16 European short films from countries including Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Bulgaria, an award-winning French-Czech animated feature about coming-of-age themes that drew a large crowd, and 11 Pakistani short films.
A “Cultural Heritage” strand featured documentary shorts filmed in Pashto, Balochi and Burushaski, spotlighting the Kalasha Valleys, the Karez irrigation system and glacier-making practices in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Children were a major focus, with interactive storytelling sessions and origami workshops drawing school groups from across the capital, including Nova Heights Montessori, Little Star Grammar, Islamabad Model School for Girls and several other institutions.
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Beyond the screenings, the festival featured a walk-through train installation doubling as a screening and storytelling space, a life-sized “Human Slot Game” where volunteers matched film trivia for festival pins, and a large collaborative mural for younger visitors to color.
A number of other activities were also displayed, such as the EUFF Bingo which allowed visitors to check mark in which activities they have taken part at the festival.
In addition to one big coloring mural, there were other coloring stations for kids and adults alike, and corners to sit down and do puzzles. All in all, the festival floor was full of fun activities while the big hall screened films non-stop.
