On Reviving Cinema in Pakistan

Film-making is a collaborative, expensive activity and therefore it is imperative that sources of investment be made available to fund it. Presently, very few people are willing to fund films, and because of an acute lack of viable products, cinemas are shutting down. As an illustration, consider the fact that whereas Pakistan produced over 110 feature films until the early 1980s, last year we produced a measly 53 which includes 25 Pushto films; in 2004, Pakistan produced a mere 50 films including 28 Pushto films. Consider also that whereas at its peak Pakistan had over 1,500 cinemas, we now have less than 275, and more and more are shutting down because of a lack of new films and audiences. These figures are indicative of the dramatic and progressive decline of film in Pakistan.

Fortunately, there is a built-in mechanism in cinemas to create the wealth for funding more films. When box offices do well, more films are produced and producers are willing to deviate from `formula' films and take more risks. Given the dismal state of Pakistan's film industry, the most obvious solution is to allow the release of Indian films in Pakistan - a move, which everyone agrees, will revive the flagging fortunes of cinemas.

This may be a surplus boon for Indian producers but it is a real necessity for the local industry as well. Film exhibitors, distributors as well as most film producers agree to this fact. Mechanisms can be worked out so that a portion of the box office proceeds would be bound to go towards funding locally produced films. More importantly, it would also bring in money in the shape of taxes into the government's coffers, which is otherwise lost to external smugglers and pirates. Furthermore, it would remove the utter hypocrisy of banning Indian films from local cinemas while they are openly available everywhere on pirated DVDs and even run on Pakistani television channels. Finally, a market for their films would also create a remarkable incentive for Indian producers to stay away from the crude diatribes some of them indulge in against Pakistan.

Currently, no bank extends credit to make films, considering it risky business. Similarly, no insurance company is willing to insure productions. Support from both these institutions is vital to establish legal sources of funding and to remove the film industry's reliance on the black market - which creates image problems for the industry as well as undermines the quality of films. The State Bank of Pakistan can create a policy directive whereby all banks registered in Pakistan must devote a certain percentage of their loans towards cultural activity such as film. As a consequence, banks will also pressurise film producers into putting their books in order. The government can also create an endowment - administered by professionals of integrity and creative standing - to provide seed funding for script development.

The reasons for the decline of a cinema-going culture in Pakistan over the last two decades are many, including a social shift caused by a lack of attention to the importance of nurturing public space. But one of the least talked about problems in drawing audiences into cinemas is the logistical one. In Karachi, for example, there is not a single decent cinema in areas where the majority of the city's population lives - places such as Gulshan-i-Iqbal, F.B. Area, North Karachi, Nazimabad, etc. There is a dire need for cinemas to come up nearer to people's homes. But this requires the government to provide investor-friendly incentives to encourage establishment of new cinemas in these areas. One possibility is to provide a tax break for five or 10 years to new cinemas, especially multiplexes. Stipulating that any new large shopping mall must necessarily contain two or three small functioning cinemas within its complex is also a viable proposal. Without new cinemas and the protection of older cinemas from being demolished, there is little hope for any improvements in the morbid local cinema scenario.

According to the current customs regulations, no foreign film can be imported into the country if it contains any Pakistani character or uses any Pakistani vernacular. The current censor board rules also prohibit screening of any film containing any Indian actor or technical crew. Of course the irony of the situation - aside from their patent absurdity - is that both of these rules are flouted daily. Unless English is “not spoken” in Pakistan or Naseeruddin Shah in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, for example, is “not Indian” and all the innumerable Pakistani films using Indian cameramen, sound engineers, musicians and dance directors are considered to have materialized from another planet.

In fact, if the current censor rules are followed to the letter, no thoughtful film could actually have been made in Pakistan, since it proscribes almost everything under vague terms. Films can be considered “unsuitable” if they “directly or indirectly” violate “any provision of the Constitution or any law for the time being in force”, “bring into contempt the Armed Forces, the Police Force or any other Force as an institution”, “portrays an incident having a tendency to disparage, malign or misrepresent other nations” or “glorifies adultery, promiscuousness, lustful passion, lewdness or excessive drinking.”

The KaraFilm Festival has operated for five years as a technically “illegal” entity despite the recent open backing by the president of Pakistan. Up until a year ago, we were even threatened with arrest by the Censor Board officials for screening films without giving in to pre-censorship. This move was made despite the fact that all sorts of films are available in video markets without any check from the censor boards. There is also a provision within the Motion Picture Ordinance that allows exemption to festivals following requirements of international practice. The government should provide unequivocal legal cover to reputed film festivals, considering the fact that festivals are a window into a country's creativity and a means of expression for its citizens.

The technical quality of Pakistani films is so destitute that they generally cannot compete in the international market. Compare this with India, whose film graduates are now producing films and marketing them in places such as South America, Africa and Australia as well as the usual markets of North America, Europe and Asia. Another factor contributing to this state of affairs is the non-existence of film training institutes over the last 60 years. The government can do its part by providing incentives such as tax relief, space allocation at cost, duty waiving on equipment and facilitating visas for foreign trainers to facilitate those interested in setting up training institutions locally. Of course, the fruits of such training may take a few years to show up, but there is simply no shortcut to quality.

The documentary genre must also be considered here which, despite its rise in the mainstream cinema circuit overseas through films such as Fahrenheit 9/11 and March of the Penguins, still has little or no support in Pakistan. Because of a lack of possibilities of screening in the cinema circuit or on television, most of the present documentary funding comes from NGOs or the corporate sector. This leads to only a certain type of “corporate video” type films being made which do not interest general audiences and thus limits viewer expectations of what a documentary can be.

By contrast, the interest of viewers in watching exciting new documentaries from Pakistan and abroad demonstrate that there is an untapped market for reality-based and investigative film-making. Stipulating that PTV and private television channels must devote a certain percentage of their broadcasts to documentaries will create the incentive for film-makers to produce more documentaries and for television channels to look for more exciting and diverse programming. Similarly, short films are training grounds for future feature-length film-makers. Cinemas can be asked to show 10-15 minutes of locally produced short films ahead of their features in return for the other incentives mentioned above.

Pakistani technicians and film-makers can learn a great deal by working with international crews and actors. The Pakistani film industry can also benefit from investment from international sources. The government can take a leaf out of how countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand have promoted the establishment of film industries that attract the most talented film-makers and large international studios. The key to promoting joint productions is a dedicated facilitation office - staffed by trained people - who can take care of issues such as work visas, location guidance, networking with local technicians and production houses and obtaining shooting permissions in an efficient manner.

Pakistan has much to offer in terms of locations, geographic diversity as well as cheap labor, and there is currently huge interest in the region which it can capitalize on. The key to attracting international film-making teams, however, is making it attractive and easier for them to operate here by removing frustrating bureaucratic hassles. The goal is of course to raise the quality of Pakistani films but the associated fringe benefits will be greater investment in Pakistan and a boost to tourism.

We complain about the impact of Hollywood and Bollywood on our culture and the stereotyped depictions of Pakistan abroad, yet are unwilling to use our own visual media to create an alternative image for ourselves. Which ever Pakistani films have made it to festivals abroad have done so without any support from the government, and in fact sometimes against active opposition from Pakistani missions abroad. It is time that the government realized that these films contribute to an understanding of Pakistani society as culturally vibrant, creatively dynamic and tolerant of dissent, rather than undercutting Pakistan's image - even films critical of social problems within the country. Witness the impact of films from societies perceive to be closed such as Iran and China.

Although investing in film studios and animation houses can be left up to private entrepreneurs, the government can facilitate their establishment by allocating land along the lines of duty free zones and by ensuring the provision of amenities and communication facilities to these areas. The better the available facilities, the more likely it is that domestic and international film-makers will be attracted to shooting films there. Not only would this pump money into the local economy, it would also create an environment for producing films of higher technical quality. Places such as Dubai and Malaysia have already embarked on such ventures. There is no reason why cities in Pakistan cannot vie for a share of the market.


	\| Back \| By Hasan Zaidi - Images Dawn, Pakistani Newspaper. Film-making is a collaborative, expensive activity and therefore it is imperative that sources of investment be made available to fund it. Presently, very few people are willing to fund films, and because of an acute lack of viable products, cinemas are shutting down. As an illustration, consider the fact that whereas Pakistan produced over 110 feature films until the early 1980s, last year we produced a measly 53 which includes 25 Pushto films; in 2004, Pakistan produced a mere 50 films including 28 Pushto films. Consider also that whereas at its peak Pakistan had over 1,500 cinemas, we now have less than 275, and more and more are shutting down because of a lack of new films and audiences. These figures are indicative of the dramatic and progressive decline of film in Pakistan. Fortunately, there is a built-in mechanism in cinemas to create the wealth for funding more films. When box offices do well, more films are produced and producers are willing to deviate from `formula' films and take more risks. Given the dismal state of Pakistan's film industry, the most obvious solution is to allow the release of Indian films in Pakistan - a move, which everyone agrees, will revive the flagging fortunes of cinemas. This may be a surplus boon for Indian producers but it is a real necessity for the local industry as well. Film exhibitors, distributors as well as most film producers agree to this fact. Mechanisms can be worked out so that a portion of the box office proceeds would be bound to go towards funding locally produced films. More importantly, it would also bring in money in the shape of taxes into the government's coffers, which is otherwise lost to external smugglers and pirates. Furthermore, it would remove the utter hypocrisy of banning Indian films from local cinemas while they are openly available everywhere on pirated DVDs and even run on Pakistani television channels. Finally, a market for their films would also create a remarkable incentive for Indian producers to stay away from the crude diatribes some of them indulge in against Pakistan. Currently, no bank extends credit to make films, considering it risky business. Similarly, no insurance company is willing to insure productions. Support from both these institutions is vital to establish legal sources of funding and to remove the film industry's reliance on the black market - which creates image problems for the industry as well as undermines the quality of films. The State Bank of Pakistan can create a policy directive whereby all banks registered in Pakistan must devote a certain percentage of their loans towards cultural activity such as film. As a consequence, banks will also pressurise film producers into putting their books in order. The government can also create an endowment - administered by professionals of integrity and creative standing - to provide seed funding for script development. The reasons for the decline of a cinema-going culture in Pakistan over the last two decades are many, including a social shift caused by a lack of attention to the importance of nurturing public space. But one of the least talked about problems in drawing audiences into cinemas is the logistical one. In Karachi, for example, there is not a single decent cinema in areas where the majority of the city's population lives - places such as Gulshan-i-Iqbal, F.B. Area, North Karachi, Nazimabad, etc. There is a dire need for cinemas to come up nearer to people's homes. But this requires the government to provide investor-friendly incentives to encourage establishment of new cinemas in these areas. One possibility is to provide a tax break for five or 10 years to new cinemas, especially multiplexes. Stipulating that any new large shopping mall must necessarily contain two or three small functioning cinemas within its complex is also a viable proposal. Without new cinemas and the protection of older cinemas from being demolished, there is little hope for any improvements in the morbid local cinema scenario. According to the current customs regulations, no foreign film can be imported into the country if it contains any Pakistani character or uses any Pakistani vernacular. The current censor board rules also prohibit screening of any film containing any Indian actor or technical crew. Of course the irony of the situation - aside from their patent absurdity - is that both of these rules are flouted daily. Unless English is “not spoken” in Pakistan or Naseeruddin Shah in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, for example, is “not Indian” and all the innumerable Pakistani films using Indian cameramen, sound engineers, musicians and dance directors are considered to have materialized from another planet. In fact, if the current censor rules are followed to the letter, no thoughtful film could actually have been made in Pakistan, since it proscribes almost everything under vague terms. Films can be considered “unsuitable” if they “directly or indirectly” violate “any provision of the Constitution or any law for the time being in force”, “bring into contempt the Armed Forces, the Police Force or any other Force as an institution”, “portrays an incident having a tendency to disparage, malign or misrepresent other nations” or “glorifies adultery, promiscuousness, lustful passion, lewdness or excessive drinking.” The reasons for the decline of a cinema-going culture in Pakistan over the last two decades are many, including a social shift caused by a lack of attention to the importance of nurturing public space. But one of the least talked about problems in drawing audiences into cinemas is the logistical one It is time we adopted a state of mind wherein we trust our film-makers and audiences. An initiative might be to move towards a more sensible system of age-based classification rather than proscription. The KaraFilm Festival has operated for five years as a technically “illegal” entity despite the recent open backing by the president of Pakistan. Up until a year ago, we were even threatened with arrest by the Censor Board officials for screening films without giving in to pre-censorship. This move was made despite the fact that all sorts of films are available in video markets without any check from the censor boards. There is also a provision within the Motion Picture Ordinance that allows exemption to festivals following requirements of international practice. The government should provide unequivocal legal cover to reputed film festivals, considering the fact that festivals are a window into a country's creativity and a means of expression for its citizens. The technical quality of Pakistani films is so destitute that they generally cannot compete in the international market. Compare this with India, whose film graduates are now producing films and marketing them in places such as South America, Africa and Australia as well as the usual markets of North America, Europe and Asia. Another factor contributing to this state of affairs is the non-existence of film training institutes over the last 60 years. The government can do its part by providing incentives such as tax relief, space allocation at cost, duty waiving on equipment and facilitating visas for foreign trainers to facilitate those interested in setting up training institutions locally. Of course, the fruits of such training may take a few years to show up, but there is simply no shortcut to quality. The documentary genre must also be considered here which, despite its rise in the mainstream cinema circuit overseas through films such as Fahrenheit 9/11 and March of the Penguins, still has little or no support in Pakistan. Because of a lack of possibilities of screening in the cinema circuit or on television, most of the present documentary funding comes from NGOs or the corporate sector. This leads to only a certain type of “corporate video” type films being made which do not interest general audiences and thus limits viewer expectations of what a documentary can be. By contrast, the interest of viewers in watching exciting new documentaries from Pakistan and abroad demonstrate that there is an untapped market for reality-based and investigative film-making. Stipulating that PTV and private television channels must devote a certain percentage of their broadcasts to documentaries will create the incentive for film-makers to produce more documentaries and for television channels to look for more exciting and diverse programming. Similarly, short films are training grounds for future feature-length film-makers. Cinemas can be asked to show 10-15 minutes of locally produced short films ahead of their features in return for the other incentives mentioned above. Pakistani technicians and film-makers can learn a great deal by working with international crews and actors. The Pakistani film industry can also benefit from investment from international sources. The government can take a leaf out of how countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand have promoted the establishment of film industries that attract the most talented film-makers and large international studios. The key to promoting joint productions is a dedicated facilitation office - staffed by trained people - who can take care of issues such as work visas, location guidance, networking with local technicians and production houses and obtaining shooting permissions in an efficient manner. Pakistan has much to offer in terms of locations, geographic diversity as well as cheap labor, and there is currently huge interest in the region which it can capitalize on. The key to attracting international film-making teams, however, is making it attractive and easier for them to operate here by removing frustrating bureaucratic hassles. The goal is of course to raise the quality of Pakistani films but the associated fringe benefits will be greater investment in Pakistan and a boost to tourism. We complain about the impact of Hollywood and Bollywood on our culture and the stereotyped depictions of Pakistan abroad, yet are unwilling to use our own visual media to create an alternative image for ourselves. Which ever Pakistani films have made it to festivals abroad have done so without any support from the government, and in fact sometimes against active opposition from Pakistani missions abroad. It is time that the government realized that these films contribute to an understanding of Pakistani society as culturally vibrant, creatively dynamic and tolerant of dissent, rather than undercutting Pakistan's image - even films critical of social problems within the country. Witness the impact of films from societies perceive to be closed such as Iran and China. Although investing in film studios and animation houses can be left up to private entrepreneurs, the government can facilitate their establishment by allocating land along the lines of duty free zones and by ensuring the provision of amenities and communication facilities to these areas. The better the available facilities, the more likely it is that domestic and international film-makers will be attracted to shooting films there. Not only would this pump money into the local economy, it would also create an environment for producing films of higher technical quality. Places such as Dubai and Malaysia have already embarked on such ventures. There is no reason why cities in Pakistan cannot vie for a share of the market. The writer is Festival Director for the KaraFilm Festival