The world’s most famous and prestigious Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) are associated with the American film industry, but there is a category where films from other countries are also awarded the best film of the year. is awarded by
Till date, Pakistan has sent ten films made here for the Oscars. It is probably needless to say that till date no Pakistani film has been nominated let alone won an Oscar.
How are films based in languages other than English nominated and who decides the Oscars, it is important to mention that in 1929, when the Academy Awards were introduced, the first talkie film was ‘The Jazz Singer’. ‘ was just a year old and most of the films were silent, so there was no question of a separate section based on language.
With the advancement of technology, films started to be contaminated/embellished with a lot of dialogue, so the reception of films made in languages other than English had to be stopped separately. From 1947 to 1955, special awards were given to such films in an irregular manner without continuity. The Academy Awards gained so much popularity and credibility that many other countries began to take interest.
In 1956, a separate category called the Best Foreign Language Film Award was officially launched. After the boom in mass media and the concept of the global village, the word ‘foreign’ had lost its legitimacy in the global film community. From 2020, this category was renamed as ‘Best International Feature Film’ instead of ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ by the Academy.
Before mentioning the films submitted by Pakistan, it would be appropriate to give a brief outline of what the international feature film nomination process is and who makes the final decision. Over time, various changes were made to improve this method. We will keep up to date with the latest rules and regulations.
In the first stage, each country sends its best film to the Academy that it hopes will win an Oscar.
Every year a country can send only one film, the selection of which is decided by a committee consisting of experts in the respective subject.
This is the first step. Once the film is received by the Academy, it has to go through two stages of voting by the Academy. In the first stage, the International Feature Film Preliminary Committee looks at the films submitted by all countries and selects 15 films by secret ballot.
These 15 films are then presented to the International Feature Film Nominating Committee, which after viewing selects the five best films by secret ballot. The Best International Feature Film is chosen by the permanent and active members of the Academy by secret ballot after viewing all five nominated films.
No Indian film could win the Best International Feature Film award. However, ‘Mother India’ (1957), ‘Salam Bombay’ (1988) and ‘Lagaan’ (2001) must have reached the final stage. Mehboob Khan’s ‘Mother India’ just fell short. The film ‘Nights of Cabiria’ by renowned Italian director Fellini won the award by a margin of one vote. What’s more, despite India sending films by internationally renowned Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Roy three times, they never made it to the final nomination, which is surprising.
As far as Pakistan is concerned, the situation is as encouraging as that of the country as a whole. Pakistan sent its first film in 1959, just three years after the category was launched. Again, suddenly in 1963, the idea of a film was pushed beyond the Academy. ‘Then a long silence and the sound of a strong wind.’
After a gap of half a century, such trouble was done in 2013. Since sending the first film in 1959 till 2020, Pakistan has sent a total of ten films during the 61 years. Cinema of any other country has hardly reached such a level of self-awareness. Let’s mention the ten films that were sent by Pakistan for the Best International Feature Film.
1 Woke Up (1958)
The film by AJ Kardar, who founded art films in Pakistan, was Pakistan’s first Oscar entry. Influenced by Satyajit Roy’s social realism, the subject of ‘Jago Hua Sveera’ was the problems of Bangladeshi fishermen.
The film’s story, dialogues and lyrics were written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz while cinematography was handled by the famous cinematographer Walter Leslie who won an Oscar in 1965.
As its name suggests, it was a revolutionary film, so Ayub Khan put various obstacles in its promotion and exhibition. When it was decided to screen the film in London, the government of Pakistan ordered its High Commission to boycott it. This is how this ruling class of Pakistan has always treated cinema, art and culture.
The prints of this film, which won the International Award in Moscow, were lost in the dust of time. In 2006, various parts of it were recovered which were prepared in visible condition by 2010. This movie is now available on YouTube.
2 Masks (1962)
Starring Santosh Kumar and Niriya Sultana in lead roles, the film was composed by renowned musician Khawaja Khursheed Anwar. Khawaja Sahib tried his hand at directing for the first time through this film after gaining a prominent place in the film’s story, screenplay and especially the music.
The film, which could not be nominated for an Oscar, received four awards in the fields of music, acting, cinematography and editing.
3. Zinda Bhaag (2013)
This film is the story of poverty-stricken youth who want to reach another country by hitchhiking (illegally). This Punjabi language film was directed by Minu Gohar and Farjad Nabi and produced by Mazhar Zaidi.
After 50 years, Pakistan sent a film for Oscar nomination, but it is possible that the Academy has made some kind of concession. After half a century, our standard could not go up and the academy could not go down. Well, why do we need an academy? However, Zinda Bhaag could get only one nomination at the Academy Awards, while ARY received 19 nominations at the Film Festival. Now you tell yourself that 19 is too much?
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
4 Girls (2014)
Marriage of girls at an early age is not new in our social traditions. However, compared to the past, this topic is being openly written, spoken and shown in the 21st century. Dakhtar also presents a similar story on screen. A chief is ready to ‘offer’ his daughter in marriage to end a tribal feud. Mother and daughter rebel and run away from home to escape this horror.
Keeping the thrill in the story is a feat of any director and Aafia Nathaniel succeeds in this. The film also failed to receive an Oscar nomination.
5 Mother (2015)
Jami Ki Mor actually portrays the hardships of a retired station master, bringing to the fore the closure of the Zhob Valley, the problems of the railway system in Balochistan and the Wadira Shahi culture.
Farhan Hafeez’s cinematography is the highlight of the film, which will be released on Independence Day 2015. The beautiful landscapes of Balochistan and Sindh are so mesmerizing that for a while you forget everything, even the story and characters of the film. This is the biggest success of this movie.
But the Oscar committee refused to get lost in the scenes like we did and instead focused on the small things like plot, acting, characterization, dialogues, etc. that kept it from being nominated.
6 Months Mir (2016)
Written by the great poet of our era and the most interesting man of his generation, Sarmad Sohbai, this film was directed by Anjum Shahzad.
It is the story of a poet who is drawn to Mir’s horror and gradually this color starts to deepen in his own life.
Fahad Mustafa, Iman Ali, Manzar Sohbai and Sanam Saeed were among the main characters of this film which was well appreciated by people associated with arts. It is assumed that there must have been someone who knew Urdu in the Oscar committee who thought, what is the point of including the author’s own dull local independent poems in a film made on the life of a poet like Mir Taqi Mir? Therefore, the same thing happened to this film that was sent for Oscar, which happened to other Pakistani films.
7 Seven (2017)
Farhan Alam’s curious film ‘Saawan’ is the story of a disabled child who fights for his life in a remote area of Balochistan. The main character of the child in the film is very lively but the sub-narratives reduce its effectiveness. It would have been a great movie if the focus had been on the main character instead of making choon choo marba.
The script of this film was written by Mashhood Qadri while he himself was the producer along with Asma Qadri. Saleem Meeraj, Syed Karam Abbas, Tipu Sharif and Imran Aslam were the stars of the film who can be seen flashing or flickering on Teteflex. There was no good news from the Oscar judges this year either.
8 Cakes (2018)
As the name suggests, it was a light-hearted film directed by its writer Asim Abbasi himself. Sanam Saeed, Amna Shaikh and Adnan Malik etc. are seen playing the roles of a Zamindar family living in Karachi.
One of the highlights of this film is the climax scene which was shot continuously for ten minutes in a single shot. Several characters and rooms change, but during this the director does not say ‘cut’.
The film, which did relatively well at the box office, was praised by local critics but did not catch the ear of the Oscar committee.
Lal Kobutar flew to the Oscars, but its wings were cut when it reached the nominations (Nahar Ghar Films).
9 Red Pigeon (2019)
Directed by Kamal Khan, the screenplay of Lal Kabutar was written by Ali Abbas Naqvi while the producers were Kamil Cheema and Haniya Cheema. Mansha Pasha played the role of Alia, who sees her journalist husband murdered in front of her. Aaliya’s struggle revolves around the person who killed her slain husband, but in the process she meets Adeel.
Adeel, who belongs to the lower middle class, somehow wants to go to Dubai and earn a lot of money. Ahmed Ali Akbar’s performance was much appreciated for this role. What is the outcome of Aaliya and Adeel’s meeting? If you want to go, watch the movie.
The film, which won four Luxe style awards, could not make history in the Oscar race.
10 Watch Life (2020)
As soon as the trailer of this film was released on YouTube, the extremist community raised the sky. Khadim Hussain Rizvi made accusations of blasphemy, issued open threats and the release of the film became a spectacle.
What is more cruel is that the director of Zindagi Tamasha Sarmad Khost and his team appeared to fight their case alone on the media and related forums. The attitude of the state was authoritarian, but traditionally, to a large extent, it was in favor of the religious class.
Regardless of the quality of the films, there was a whole cinema culture in the past. Filmmaking, like other fields of the arts, began to decline in the late seventies. Like any extremist society, we are producing fanatics. If it gets an Oscar, it’s hard to let anyone get ahead.
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#films #Pakistan #Oscar
It to the Oscars, yet it garnered significant recognition in local film circles. The intense storyline and standout performances showcased the talent of the cast and the depth of the narrative.
10 The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022)
This film, a modern reinterpretation of the classic Punjabi tale, quickly became one of the highest-grossing films in Pakistani cinema history. Directed by Bilal Lashari, it stars Fawad Khan and Hamza Alić, and is noted for its grand production values, impressive action sequences, and powerful performances. Despite its massive success, the film faced challenges in being considered for international recognition, yet it exemplifies the evolving landscape of Pakistani film.
As the Pakistani film industry continues to grow and evolve, it’s evident that while these films have failed to secure Oscar nominations, they reflect the rich cultural narratives and creative efforts within the country. The industry, fueled by passionate filmmakers and actors, is likely to make its mark on global cinema in the years to come.
while the road to Oscar nominations is still fraught with challenges for Pakistani cinema, the increasing quality and diversity of films showcase the potential for future successes on international stages. The stories told are not only entertaining but also resonate deeply with social issues and cultural identity, paving the way for greater recognition in the filmmaking community worldwide.
