Pakistan’s vibrant presence at the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Jeddah this week was marked by a forward-looking dialogue, as leading figures from the country’s entertainment industry advocated for deep, collaborative partnerships with Saudi filmmakers. During a high-impact panel session, veteran actors Atiqa Odho and Shehzad Nawaz championed the idea that Saudi and Pakistani artists should join forces to craft shared narratives that reflect the region’s diverse realities.
The discussion, titled to inspire collaboration, served as a crucial platform for addressing a fundamental challenge: representation.
Reclaiming the Narrative from Outsiders
Director and actor Shehzad Nawaz delivered a powerful statement on the urgency of local content creation. Citing Pakistan’s deep, ancient history, he argued that the nation has an ‘image problem’ precisely because its stories are often left to outsiders, or antagonists, to tell. His comments gain particular weight following recent regional censorship of foreign films that rely on one-dimensional, hostile portrayals of Pakistan.
Nawaz emphasized that Pakistan is ready to be a creative partner, pointing out the country’s massive, youthful population and its highly skilled artistic workforce. He pitched Pakistan not just as a location, but as a dynamic engine for storytelling, actively seeking co-production deals to ensure that the authenticity and complexity of its culture are finally conveyed on screen.
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Unearthing Universal Human Stories
Adding to the call for collaboration, Atiqa Odho highlighted the wealth of common ground and shared human experiences between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. With Saudi society undergoing rapid, visible transformation, Odho stressed the necessity of filming these changes, particularly those centered around women.
“We have so many similar stories to tell,” Odho remarked, suggesting that focusing on these collective themes would allow filmmakers to tap into a massive, built-in audience across the entire Gulf and South Asia. By merging resources and artistic visions, joint Saudi-Pakistani projects could overcome commercial and political hurdles faced by external productions, creating films that speak to genuine, regional concerns rather than tired, outdated tropes.
This appeal at the RSIFF is seen as a timely catalyst, aiming to translate recent government-level agreements for media cooperation into tangible, working cinematic projects. It underscores a key realization: in the global entertainment sphere, the strongest soft power lies in controlling the camera and directing one’s own story.
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