Pakistani filmmaker, Aleem Bukari’s short film Karmash is all set to be premiered for the 57th Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, on May 22.
Recently, the schedule of the film premiere was shared by the co-producing media company, Sleepbyte Films, on Instagram. According to the schedule, the film will be premiered on May 22, at 15:45 (CEST), at the J.W Marriot, Théâtre Croisette in Cannes.
Karmash is based on the story of the last heir of the Karmash tribe, who recollects his now-forgotten ancestral traditions. According to the film synopsis, “he wanders through fragmented memories of his past, his lineage, and the city—slowly fading into the ruins of his consciousness. A portrait of a man on the verge of familial madness.”
At Cannes, the film will be premiered with English and French subtitles. Earlier, it was listed in the Short and Medium Length film category, along with Before the Sea Forgets, Blue Heart, and When the Geese Flew.
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In a heartfelt Instagram post, Aleem Bukhari shared the news, describing what an emotional moment it was for him, and the years of struggle it took to get to this point.
He wrote, “Our short film Karmash has been officially selected for the prestigious 57th Directors’ Fortnight, I’m beyond honored and overjoyed to share that it will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May.”
Talking about his joyous experience of seeing his dream come true, Bukhari said, “Never thought this would happen in real life, only ever dreamt it.”
He also gave credit for this remarkable success to the co-producing media houses of, Sleepbyte Films and Braanz Films for holding steady through the pandemonium, remembering the moments when they had nothing but passion.
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He said, “Even when we lacked the resources and means, [you] consistently stayed true to our passion for cinema and adamant belief that, yes, we need to make films this way, or not at all.”
The announcement of Karmash’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival has sparked a wave of excitement across Pakistan’s indie film circuit, where such global recognitions are not only rare but hard-won.
“We are going to Cannes!” Bukhari finished his post on a note of joy that felt impossible to miss.
Javaria Khalid is a Web Contributor at The Diplomatic Insight Magazine. She specializes in covering geopolitical developments, international relations, diplomatic, and socio-economic developments in Europe and Pakistan.
