ISLAMABAD: The first ever Pakistan edition of the Asia Peace Film Festival (APFF) will take place from September 18 to 20 at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).To commemorate the forthcoming International Peace Day, September 21, 11- country consortium of Asian creative launched a flagship initiative by organizing a three-day Asia Film Festival(APFF) in Pakistan.The festival is being supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage. As many as 113 documentariesand other content of about 15 hour from 30 countries would be shown in three days.Amjad Bhatti, the chief executive of the festival, said the selected films of APFF-Pakistan Edition would be screened first at the Festival on September 18,19 and 20 in Islamabad; second on theother festivals hosted in partner countries, third in the 30 Universities of Pakistan’s four provinces including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and fourth in several press clubs in Pakistan.The PNCA Director General Syed Jamal Shah said cinema is a very medium for both narrative and documentary being the most accessible and effective vehicle for promoting social change in the world. It addresses some very important social and cultural issuesbesides proving entertainment at the same time.He said the APFF would pave a path for the global communication for peace, originating from Pakistan to help develop a harmonised narrative for the region.The finalists of APFF-Pakistan Edition would be decorated with National Awards from the Government of Pakistan. The finalist filmswould be screened as a part of learning curriculum and case studiesat the media and communication departments of universities as wellas at the press clubs across Asia.APFF would maintain a YouTube channel for a wider dissemination of selected and awarded films. APFF would create an endowment fund to establish Asia Peace Film Academy (APFA) in thelong run. Resources for APFF are generated through institutionalsupport from government and nongovernment organizations as well asthrough corporate sponsorships.
Individual donations andvolunteerism also add value to the resource base of APFF. As a future project, APFF has plans to design and conduct short courses on `film for peace’ engaging Asian universities, press clubs and media academies. APFF would design and conduct annualeditions of the festival on co-host basis engaging yearly with a newcountry of Asian region. First APFF is Pakistan Edition 2017.More than 800 films from more than 70 countries have been received by the APFF Secretariat for selection.The first ever Asia Peace Film Festival is a trailblazing initiative in the region bringing diverse sectors, actors andaudiences together in one city, under one roof creating an excitingambiance of diffusion of diversities; presenting intricate expressions of multi-cultural panorama; and forging an intense sense of togetherness through fine arts, film, creativity and innovations.The festival would be attended and represented by a large and diverse audiences – bringing together filmmakers, artists, animators, performers, media wizards, parliamentarians, academics,social activists and students from almost all countries of Asia. Itwould be an inimitable gathering of creative communities and opinionleaders from the region presenting a cultural Kaleidoscope of Asia.