The Gandhara Independent Film Festival (GIFF) has opened its seventh edition with an exclusive opening night at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).
The opening featured special presentations of nine foreign-language independent short films from France, Canada, Iran, Brazil, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Peru.
Kiran Murad opened the festival and thanked its sponsors, including UBL, Candi Biscuit, Candyland, Olper’s Diary Tea Creamer and Vatika.
GIFF Producer 2026 Beenish Umer thanked the festival’s industry partners. They include Epic Pictures, Sharp Image, Hot Water Bottle Films, Bionic Films, Tallman Films, Y Productions and What’s Next.
Head of Media and Communications Afreen Zehra highlighted the festival’s institutional partnerships. Karachi Film School is serving as the Educational Partner, while NAPA is the Venue Partner.
Talking Point is the PR Partner, See Prime is the Strategic Partner and ARY Plus OTT is the official Streaming Partner.
International and Pakistani Cinema
The selected films explore themes including family heritage, artist’s block, relationships, identity, motherhood and social drama.
Maritime Diplomacy and Cooperation: From Commitments to Action
The opening night also featured a red-carpet ceremony. Guests later moved to the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre for the film screenings.
GIFF received around 6,000 film submissions from Pakistan and other countries this year.
The festival selected 60 films for its digital edition. The lineup 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 September 30.
For the on-ground edition at NAPA, GIFF selected 28 independent films. The lineup includes 19 foreign-language short films and nine Pakistani independent films.
Six Years of Independent Cinema
The founder of Gandhara Independent Film Festival reflected on the festival’s journey.
“GIFF started with a budget of zero in dollars but an investment of millions in passion, grit and commitment,” the founder said.
The founder said six years of effort had helped GIFF develop into a festival trusted by filmmakers and cinema audiences around the world.
The founder also thanked everyone who has supported, attended and worked with the festival.
NAPA Welcomes GIFF
NAPA CEO Jarri Masood Zaidi welcomed guests during the opening ceremony.
He said NAPA was an appropriate venue for the festival because of its commitment to the performing arts.
Zaidi said the arts provide a way to understand society, question the world and imagine different possibilities.
He also conveyed a message from NAPA Chairman Syed Jawaid Iqbal.
Iqbal congratulated the GIFF team on organizing the festival successfully each year. He described the relationship between NAPA and GIFF as a reflection of their shared commitment to artistic excellence.
Festival Continues Through Sunday
GIFF will continue through Sunday with an official lineup of international and Pakistani films.
The programme will also include question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers and artists.
The festival will conclude with an awards ceremony on Sunday night.
