ISLAMABAD: “In Flames,” Pakistan‘s submission to the Oscars’ international feature category, has won the Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film at the 3rd edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, which took place in Jeddah from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9.
The gathering, which attracted Hollywood stars like Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Chris Hemsworth, and Sharon Stone, on Thursday evening unveiled the winners of its Red Sea competition honors, the Yusr awards, as well as other prizes.
Pakistan-Canadian director and writer Zarrar Kahn said his indie movie was shot for “just $300,000 — the size of a Red Sea Fund production grant.”
“Everyone who gets a grant to go make a movie, because this was made for nothing,” he said.
Last month, In Flames won the International Newcomer Award at the 72nd International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Earlier this year in May, the horror-drama became the second Pakistani film in 43 years to make it to Directors’ Fortnight, an event that runs parallel to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. In October, the film was independently released at the Atrium Cinemas in Pakistan’s southern Karachi city for a 12-day run which was later extended until November 9. The film has also played at festivals in Toronto, Busan, Sitges, Sao Paulo, and Pingyao.
In an interview earlier this month, actor Bakhtawar Mazhar described In Flames as a psychological thriller that follows the struggle of a mother (Mazhar) and her daughter (Ramesha Nawal) after the loss of the patriarch of the family. The film has been produced by Anam Abbas.
“Even though this film was shot in Karachi, women around the world were crying [after watching the film] and they were like, we know the struggle this character went through, we know the struggle of Fariha and Mariam,” Nawal said.
“In Flames” is also Pakistan’s official submission under the Foreign Language Film category for the 96th Academy Awards next year.
