Gandhara Independent Film Festival 2026 Opens with International Short Films
GIFF 2026 opens at NAPA Karachi with international and Pakistani independent films, Q&A sessions and an upcoming awards ceremony.
Gandhara Independent Film Festival 2026 opens at NAPA Karachi
KARACHI, October 2, 2026: The Gandhara Independent Film Festival (GIFF) 2026 opened its seventh edition with an exclusive Opening Night at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi.
The opening programme featured special presentations of nine foreign-language independent short films from France, Canada, Iran, Brazil, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Peru.
The festival is an initiative of Cirque Films and continues to provide a platform for independent filmmakers from Pakistan and around the world.
GIFF Highlights Global Independent Cinema
Kiran Murad opened the festival and thanked its sponsors, including UBL, Candi Biscuit, Candyland, Olper’s Dairy Tea Creamer and Vatika.
GIFF Producer 2026 Beenish Umer acknowledged 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.
Meanwhile, Afreen Zehra, Head of Media and Communications, highlighted the role of the festival’s institutional partners.
Karachi Film School serves as the official Educational Partner. NAPA is the Venue Partner, while Talking Point is the PR Partner. See Prime is the Strategic Partner, and ARY Plus OTT is the official Streaming Partner.
The selected films explore themes including family heritage, artistic struggles, complex relationships, identity, motherhood and social issues.
Six Thousand Films Received
GIFF received around 6,000 film submissions from filmmakers across the world, including Pakistan.
The festival selected 60 films for its digital edition. The selection 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, 28 independent films have been selected. The lineup includes 19 foreign-language short films and nine Pakistani independent films.
The Opening Night also featured a red-carpet ceremony before guests moved to the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre for the screenings.
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NAPA Backs Independent Cinema
The founder of Gandhara Independent Film Festival reflected on the festival’s journey, saying it began with no dollar budget but received a major investment of passion, commitment and hard work.
The founder said six years of consistent effort had helped GIFF earn recognition among filmmakers and cinema audiences internationally.
The founder also thanked the people who supported, attended and worked for the festival, while expressing hopes for its continued growth.
NAPA CEO Jarri Masood Zaidi welcomed guests and highlighted the connection between the performing arts and cinema.
He said NAPA was an appropriate venue because the institution views the performing arts as more than entertainment. According to Zaidi, the arts help people understand themselves, question their surroundings and imagine different possibilities.
He also conveyed a message from NAPA Chairman Syed Jawaid Iqbal, who congratulated the GIFF team on organising the festival successfully each year.
The chairman described the partnership between NAPA and GIFF as a reflection of their shared commitment to artistic excellence.
Festival Continues Through Sunday
The seventh edition of GIFF will continue through Sunday with an official lineup of international and Pakistani independent films.
The programme will also include question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers and an award ceremony on Sunday night.
