Three Pakistani Films Receive Major Honors at Canadian International Film Festival

 

Pakistani cinema earned several major honors at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF) 2026 in Canada, with multiple Pakistani productions receiving awards across different categories.

Sarmad Khoosat’s Lali emerged as one of the major winners, receiving the Special Jury Prize and the Best Sound Design Award. Farazeh Syed was also named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.

The movie, which premiered at the Berlinale earlier this year, also opened MISAFF 2026. Set in Sahiwal, Lali follows Zeba, played by Mamya Shajaffar, a young woman whose married life becomes complicated by jealousy, suspicion and rumours surrounding a curse connected to her past.

The dark comedy combines Punjabi folklore, supernatural elements and family conflicts. Its cast also features Channan Hanif, Farazeh Syed, Rasti Farooq and Mehar Bano.

Another Pakistani production, Mohammed Ali Naqvi’s Hanging by a Wire, earned recognition by winning the Sabeen Mahmud Award for Courage in Cinema in the Documentary category.

The documentary revisits the 2023 Battagram cable car tragedy, in which eight people, including six children, became trapped nearly 900 feet above a river after a cable broke. All eight were eventually rescued following a challenging operation that lasted throughout the day.

The film reconstructs the incident using eyewitness accounts, footage captured at the scene and cinematic recreations. It also explores themes of survival, community support and the efforts involved in the rescue operation.

Hanging by a Wire is also Pakistan’s official entry for this year’s Academy Awards.

Pakistan also secured recognition in the short-film category, with Kamran Faiq’s The Last Glance winning Best International Short Film.

The 13-minute film follows Barkaat, his pregnant wife Bushra and their young son Ahmad as they leave their village amid violence. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when they reach a remote police checkpoint and are faced with a difficult moral decision.

Another Pakistani production, The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony, received an Honorable Mention in the Best Documentary category. The film focuses on a group of gymnasts from Karachi’s Macchar Colony.

The 12th edition of MISAFF was held from September 30 to October 4, featuring 16 feature-length films and 30 short films from Pakistan, Canada, India, Nepal, Iran and other countries.