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KARACHI: In its tenth year now, the American Film Showcase (AFS) 2023 Pakistan kicked off on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Karachi. The event was hosted by the University of Greenwich, which began with the Honorary Public Relations Officer of the US Consulate in Karachi, Mr. Lee McManis. Addressing the audience, Mr Lee said: “Through the medium of film, filmmakers can raise awareness of social issues, draw attention to the struggles of everyday people, challenge assumptions and highlight critical new ways of thinking. . We firmly believe that filmmakers have a key role to play in inspiring new visions for the future of Pakistan and we are excited to see what that future holds.”
This year AFS Pakistan’s implementing partner is Women Through Film/Loug Trust.
During the two days of the exhibition of the American film, five American documentaries were shown, which were highly acclaimed by the audience, consisting of students and the general public. The film slate for the first day consisted of Picture a Scientist (2020), which focuses on sexual harassment and gender inequality against women, which are no less prevalent in science than in pop culture or corporate America; Fake Famous (2021), which is based on the true story of an unreal social experiment that reveals what really goes on behind the scenes of influencers’ fame; and The Misfits (2021), which features a talented group of misfits who call themselves the Misfits, seeking to reverse the saying “No good deed goes unpunished.”
The film screenings were followed by a panel discussion featuring AFS US Representative Ms. Laura Renee Nix, actor and director Mr. Mohib Mirza, film producer Fiza Ali Meerza, director Anam Abbas and film critic and Dawn icon Kamran Javaid as a moderator. The panel discussion delved deep into a SWOT analysis for Pakistan in the international film industry.
On 17th March, the day began with an AFS 2023 Documentary Story Workshop for female students from various universities in Karachi, conducted by AFS representative Ms. Laura Nix. This workshop trained participants on key story elements and how to discover and improve them in the development, production and post-production stages of a film. It focused on developing strong character arcs, building a compelling narrative, the importance of visual storytelling, and creating dramatic tension. In the second half, participants were grouped together to present their perspective on a story they thought would make a great documentary, using the elements they learned through the workshop. This workshop gave participants an understanding of how to evaluate an idea for a potential documentary film.
Film screenings continued in parallel. The second film day included Lily Brings Down the World (2021) which follows 20-year-old Lily Hevesh – the world’s greatest domino topper and the only woman in her field – in a coming-of-age story of art, passion and incredible triumph and a street gang: How we’ve reached Sesame Street (2021), which takes viewers into the minds and hearts of Sesame Street’s creators, artists, writers and educators, who together founded one of the most influential programs in television history.
The event concluded with closing remarks from CAO Vince Murphy who said: