At the 14th edition of the renowned Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2024, which took place in New Delhi on April 30, Pakistani filmmaker Shoaib Sultan was rewarded with the debut director prize for his film Gunjal.
The Indian film festival celebrated international cinematic accomplishments by showcasing international films, with Gunjal becoming victorious and garnering accolades in the end. The prize for first director marks a significant turning point for Pakistani film as well as for Sultan.
Gunjal (2023) is an action criminal thriller directed by Adur Productions and co-written by Sultan, Nirmal Bano, and Ali Kazmi. It is based on the actual tale of Pakistani child labor campaigner Iqbal Masih, who spearheaded a campaign against child labor in the 1990s before being assassinated. The film centers on Ahmed Ali Akbar’s compelling fictional story of journalist Shahbaz Bhatti, who investigates the death of teenage labor campaigner Masih, against the backdrop of child labor in Pakistan in the 1990s. A statement on Sultan’s Instagram account states that Gunjal will be presented on May 3 at the UK Asian Film Festival, bringing it closer to a larger audience.
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