Pakistani Filmmakers Champion Creative Rebellion at Cannes Panel

The Pakistan Crescent Collective made a triumphant return to the Cannes Film Market this week, presenting a powerhouse panel that positioned filmmaking as an act of creative defiance against decades of limiting stereotypes.

The collective’s “New Wave Pakistan: Telling Global Stories, Rooted at Home” panel drew industry attention to a cinematic movement that’s rewriting the rules of Pakistani storytelling.

The event was introduced by Rohi Mirza Pandya of Rasa Film Group. Panel moderator Mohammed Ali (Mo) Naqvi, the acclaimed filmmaker and Crescent Collective co-founder, who also serves as chair of the Pakistan Oscar selection committee, set the tone with a pointed observation about narrative liberation. “For so long, the only stories we were allowed to tell were filtered through a Western lens: terrorism, trauma, poverty,” Naqvi said. “We’re finally claiming the freedom to tell our own stories – joyful ones, horrifying ones, romantic ones – on our own terms.”

Naqvi’s latest production, “Hanging By A Wire,” exemplifies this shift. “This film is a complete departure for me – it’s a full-on action-thriller made in a mainstream cinematic style,” he explained. “And for that reason, I actually see it as a deliberate act of subversion. We’re not used to seeing stories from Pakistan told this way – big, thrilling, made for a global audience.”

The theme of creative rebellion resonated throughout the American Pavilion event. Fawzia Mirza, writer-director of “The Queen of My Dreams,” spoke candidly about the personal stakes of authentic storytelling. “For years, I made films without expecting applause,” the queer South Asian filmmaker said. “I’ve always known that by telling these stories of radical self-love, I was putting myself further into the fire.”

For breakout filmmakers Aleem Bukhari and Irfan Noor King, whose “Karmash” became the first Pakistani short film selected for Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, the approach remains deeply personal. “You make a film for yourself, or for a specific audience, it’s a very personal thing,” they explained. “You don’t make it with a festival like Cannes in mind and that’s not the right way to create. You just do your best.”

Their micro-budget production, shot for just PKR50,000 (approximately $180), proves that constraints can fuel creativity rather than limit it.

London-based British Pakistani filmmaker Hammad Khan, whose satirical “Slackistan” became a cult hit, echoed the sentiment of creative independence. Discussing his surrealist sophomore effort “Anima State,” Khan noted the initial resistance to unconventional work. “Mainly it was Fantasia in Canada who embraced it. Back then, there was real pushback against anything outside the box,” he said. “That’s why now I say – make the film for yourself. That’s how you break boundaries – by not asking for permission.”

The panel also celebrated recent victories, including Saim Sadiq‘s participation following his receipt of the €20,000 ($22,620) Baumi Script Development Award for upcoming feature “Little Men,” selected by Oscar-winner Edward Berger. Sadiq’s previous film “Joyland” claimed both the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and Queer Palm at Cannes 2022. It was also Pakistan’s entry to the Oscars’ international category, where it was shortlisted.

The collective’s second year at Cannes signals a maturing movement that’s successfully bridging emerging Pakistani talent with international partners while challenging global perceptions through bold, boundary-breaking storytelling.