KARACHI, October 2, 2026: The Gandhara Independent Film Festival (GIFF) 2026 opened its seventh edition at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi.
The festival began with an exclusive opening night featuring nine international independent short films. The films came from France, Canada, Iran, Brazil, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Peru.
The event is an initiative of Cirque Films. It brings independent cinema from Pakistan and around the world to Karachi audiences.
International and Pakistani Films
Kiran Murad opened the festival and thanked its sponsors. They included UBL, Candi Biscuit, Candyland, Olper’s Diary Tea Creamer and Vatika.
GIFF Producer 2026 Beenish Umer thanked the festival’s industry partners. These included Epic Pictures, Sharp Image, Hot Water Bottle Films, Bionic Films, Tallman Films, Y Productions and What’s Next.
Afreen Zehra, Head of Media and Communications, highlighted the festival’s institutional partners.
Karachi Film School serves as the official Educational Partner. NAPA is the Venue Partner, while Talking Point is the PR Partner.
See Prime is the Strategic Partner and ARY Plus OTT is the official Streaming Partner.
The opening-night programme featured films exploring family heritage, creative struggles, relationships, identity, motherhood and social issues.
Guests attended a red-carpet ceremony before moving to the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre for the screenings.
Six Thousand Films Submitted
GIFF said it received around 6,000 film submissions from across the world, including Pakistan.
The festival selected 60 films for its digital edition. The selection included seven foreign-language feature films, 25 foreign-language short films and 28 Pakistani short films.
The digital edition streamed on ARY Plus OTT and the GIFF website from September 18 to 30.
The on-ground edition at NAPA features 28 independent films. These include 19 foreign-language short films and nine Pakistani films.
Festival Founder Reflects on GIFF Journey
The festival’s founder said GIFF began with no dollar budget but grew through sustained passion and commitment.
The founder said the festival had developed into an event respected by filmmakers and cinema audiences worldwide.
“We gave it our heart and soul expecting nothing back, just for the love of cinema,” the founder said.
The founder also thanked filmmakers, audiences and supporters who contributed to the festival’s growth.
NAPA Highlights Role of Cinema
NAPA CEO Jarri Masood Zaidi welcomed guests at the opening.
He said NAPA provided an appropriate setting for the festival because of its commitment to the performing arts.
Zaidi said the arts can help people understand themselves and question the world around them. He added that cinema offers a similar opportunity to imagine different possibilities.
He also conveyed a message from NAPA Chairman Syed Jawaid Iqbal.
The chairman congratulated the GIFF team for organising the festival successfully each year. He also described the partnership between NAPA and GIFF as a shared commitment to artistic excellence.
The festival continues through Sunday with international and Pakistani films on the official lineup.
The programme will also feature question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers. An awards ceremony is scheduled for Sunday night.
